Barriers & Enablers for Postnatal Exercise: Episode 128 with Dr Megan James

Hello & welcome to this episode of the podcast, where I'm joined by Dr Megan James who has had a great year so far in terms of research output! Not only does Megan have a great chapter in Grainne Donnelly's book Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor, but she's published TWO other great papers on postpartum pelvic loading and return to exercise!

Megan discussed her academic journey from studying sport and exercise science to completing a PhD focused on pelvic injuries and running, particularly postpartum return to running. She explained her recent work developing a graded loading pathway using external pelvic acceleration variables, which aimed to create evidence-based return-to-run protocols for postpartum athletes by measuring pelvic acceleration rather than just ground reaction force.

We discussed the forces on the pelvic floor during different activities, particularly running. Megan explained that while vertical forces are significant, the direction and absorption of forces vary depending on movement patterns and landing techniques. We explored the concept of grounded running as a potential way to reduce pelvic acceleration by increasing duty factor, which is the ratio of ground contact time to stride time. Megan noted that grounded running naturally maintains a duty factor over 50%, which could help in reducing pelvic stress.

We also discussed Megan's research paper on postpartum return to running, focusing on the Double Diamond co-design framework used in the study. Megan explained that the framework was chosen to incorporate end users' perspectives throughout the research process, covering four stages: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. I think this discussion highlights the importance of considering both barriers and enablers to postpartum exercise, so we can (hopefully!) see more research aiming to bridge the gaps between evidence-based studies and practical clinical applications

We also chatted about an online return-to-running resource that Megan and her team developed, which provides a flexible 150-minute weekly exercise plan tailored for women. Megan's PhD research focused on developing a postpartum exercise guide, which provides individualized exercise recommendations for new mothers based on their specific needs and symptoms. Megan explained that the guide offers a "buffet of choices" allowing mothers to select appropriate exercises, with POGP involvement adding credibility and trustworthiness to the resource.

We talked about potential future research directions, including testing the guide's effectiveness through controlled studies and validating the relationship between movement variables and pelvic floor dysfunction mechanisms. I really love this work's practical impact on improving maternal health and well-being and I think it gives such a strong foundation for future research in this field.

Here's a link the resource we talked about:

Guide for return to running: https://doi.org/10.25401/cardiffmet.26403592

want to learn more about supporting the postpartum woman on the road back to exercise and health? My online course, Perinatal Pelvic Rehab, covers the evidence and how to apply it, from pre-conception to pregnancy and postpartum (with a little bit of perimenopause as well!) All of the info on my online courses, from menstrual health to menopause, from female pelvic pain to back pain, bowel health to hysterectomy, breast cancer to pelvic oncology rehab, can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com

Until next time, Onwards & Upwards! Mx #celebratemuliebrity