Hi I'm Michelle and today I'm showing you how to run and reduce your risk of prolapse
worsening.
Now I'm NOT here to tell you that you can or can't run with a prolapse.
Instead I want to show you how to reduce the impact of running and reduce the load on your
pelvic floor if you are a runner as some women really want to run despite having a prolapse.
It's important to note that running isn't the exercise of choice if you have a prolapse
please follow the advice of your medical caregiver.
Running is a high impact exercise so every time your heel strikes the ground, the force
of your body weight is directed down through your pelvic floor.
This large force can cause the pelvic floor tissues to progressively stretch and weaken
and worsen prolapse problems.
Today I'm going to cover a.
7 ways to reduce your risk of prolapse worsening and keep you running if that's your exercise
of choice and then I want to share b. how to instantly support your prolapse
for symptom free running.
If you ARE looking for prolapse safe alternatives to running to keep fit and manage your body
weight this prolapse exercises book will provide you with all the information you need and
it's linked in the description below).
7 Prolapse and Running Tips
Tip 1.
Limit Distance - Limit how long you run for.
Running long distances involves repeatedly striking your heels to the ground and loading
your pelvic floor.
What's more is the pelvic floor becomes tired and less able to work effectively when running
long distances.
For these reasons try to keep your runs at a manageable length for your body and this
means marathon running isn't usually advisable for most individuals with prolapse problems.
Tips 2.
Reduce Stride Length Try to run with small steps.
Reducing stride length is one way to help you reduce the impact of your heel striking
the ground.
The larger stride here increases impact through the pelvic floor, try to keep stride small
Tip 3.
Limit Speed
Keep your running speed slow to moderate where possible.
This tip is related to the last tip since smaller steps obviously slow down the pace
of running but It's also worth noting that fast running has a greater requirement for
pelvic floor activation so small steps and slow speed are preferable to fast running
with long stride.
Tip 4.
Choose Flat Surfaces Running down stairs and downhill will increase
the load and potential strain on your pelvic floor.
Try to stick to running on flat surfaces to minimise the impact of your heel strike.
Tip 5.
Alternate Running Surfaces
Repeated road running and treadmill running are associated with increased stress in the
body owing to the repeated action on hard surfaces.
This is why running on hard surfaces is commonly associated to stress injuries such as shin
splints.
Instead try to alternate the running surfaces to include grass, gravel and soft sand where
you can.
Water running is a great way of reducing stress associated with running.
6.
Manage Body Weight
Running can be a great way of increasing fitness and losing weight however it's not the ideal
exercise if you're overweight or obese.
If you're carrying excess abdominal weight this sits directly above the pelvic floor.
Every time your heel hits the ground this load pushes down on your pelvic floor.
If you're overweight or carrying too much abdominal weight start with walking and avoid
running.
This applies particularly to women after recent childbirth who will have weakened pelvic floor
muscles.
Running isn't the best way to lose weight after having your baby, start with progressive
walking after pregnancy and childbirth
Now stay with me for a moment longer if you can, after this final tip I want to mention
how to instantly improve your pelvic floor support to help you run ...
Tip 7.
Mix up Workouts (Cross Training)
My final tip is to mix up your workouts regularly rather than constant running.
Equipment based exercise such as cycling, cross trainer, elliptical machine gives your
pelvic floor a break from high impact exercise and time to recover which is especially important
to reduce your risk of prolapse worsening.
Now this Information wouldn't be complete without discussing the importance of improving
your prolapse support to help you run.
There are 2 ways to improve support for your prolapse
1.
Vaginal Pessary
This is a device called a vaginal support pessary that can be used during running or
other exercise to support the prolapse.
I'm not going into detail here other than to say that these devices sit inside the vagina
and hold up the prolapsed tissues so they can reduce prolapse symptoms and may help
some women run with a prolapse.
These devices aren't for everyone but they're definitely worth knowing about - You can speak
with your gynaecologist or pelvic floor physio for more information about using a pessary
device.
2.
Pelvic Floor Exercises If you're going to run, please take the time
to do your regular pelvic floor muscle exercises too.
You need to keep these muscles strong and supportive to allow you to do the general
exercise you want to do.
The pelvic floor exercises for prolapse video coming up next shows you how to train your
pelvic floor with prolapse problems.