Running After Childbirth: When Is It Safe to Start?

POSTED: 11 Sep, 2026

For many new mothers, returning to running is an important goal. Running may provide fitness, stress relief, social connection and valuable time for yourself.

However, returning to running after childbirth involves more than waiting for a particular date. Pregnancy and birth affect the pelvic floor, abdominal wall, ligaments, joints and overall physical capacity.

A safe return should therefore be based on your recovery, symptoms and ability to manage impact, not only the number of weeks since birth.

When Can You Start Running After Childbirth?

The Returning to Running Postnatal guideline by Goom, Donnelly and Brockwell (2019) suggests waiting until at least 12 weeks postpartum before considering a return to running.

However, 12 weeks should be viewed as the earliest point for an individual assessment and a gradual walk-run program, not an automatic clearance for unrestricted running.

Recovery continues beyond three months. Selman et al. (2022) suggest that recovery of the pelvic floor muscles and associated connective tissues may continue for four to six months. Chu et al. (2019) also found that pregnancy-related changes in joint laxity may remain present around four to five months postpartum.

For this reason, even when pelvic floor function appears satisfactory, we generally recommend using the first three to six months to rebuild lower-limb strength, joint control, core function and impact tolerance.

A gentle walk-run program may be appropriate from around three months for selected women, while continuous, higher-volume or higher-intensity running may be better delayed until closer to six months.

The appropriate timing depends on birth recovery, symptoms, previous running experience, strength and response to impact-based testing.

Signs You May Need More Rehabilitation

Running places repeated impact through the feet, legs, pelvis and trunk. The pelvic floor, abdominal muscles and lower-limb muscles must work together to manage this load.

Symptoms that may indicate a need for further assessment include:

• Urinary or bowel leakage
• Pelvic heaviness, pressure or vaginal bulging
• Pelvic, perineal or lower abdominal pain
• Hip, pelvic girdle or lower back pain
• Pain or pulling around a caesarean or perineal scar
• Difficulty controlling the bladder during exercise
• Abdominal doming or reduced abdominal control
• Symptoms that appear during running or later that day

Mild symptoms do not necessarily mean that you must stop exercising completely. However, they may indicate that your exercise intensity, impact level or running progression needs to be modified.

What Does a Postnatal Running Assessment Include?

A pelvic health physiotherapy assessment looks beyond pelvic floor strength alone.

Depending on your history and goals, the assessment may consider:

• Pelvic floor strength, relaxation and coordination
• Bladder, bowel and prolapse symptoms
• Abdominal wall function and abdominal separation
• Breathing and pressure management
• Hip, gluteal and calf strength
• Single-leg control and balance
• Walking, squatting, hopping and jogging tolerance
• Caesarean or perineal recovery
• Previous running experience and current fitness
• Sleep, fatigue, breastfeeding and energy availability

Research by Christopher et al. (2024) recommends considering physical capacity, pelvic floor symptoms, medical and psychological factors and previous training history when determining readiness to run after childbirth.

A pelvic health physiotherapist can identify which areas need rehabilitation before or during your return to running.

How Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Can Help

Postnatal physiotherapy should prepare the whole body for the demands of running, not only strengthen the pelvic floor.

Treatment may include:

• Pelvic floor strengthening, relaxation or coordination training
• Abdominal and trunk rehabilitation
• Hip, gluteal and calf strengthening
• Single-leg control and balance training
• Hopping and impact preparation
• Breathing and pressure-management strategies
• Bladder or bowel symptom management
• Scar rehabilitation when required
• Advice about running load and progression

Not everyone needs the same pelvic floor exercises. Some women need to improve strength and endurance, while others may need to address muscle overactivity, pain or difficulty relaxing the pelvic floor.

Even when pelvic floor function is satisfactory, further rehabilitation may be needed to restore joint control, lower-limb strength and tolerance to repeated impact.

Start With a Gradual Walk-Run Program

The first postpartum run does not need to be continuous.

Research by Deering et al. (2024) supports beginning with a gradual walk-run program, progressively increasing running duration and intensity and continuing targeted strength training.

A starting program may involve alternating short periods of comfortable jogging with walking. Running time, distance and speed should not all be increased at once.

Your response during the session and over the following 24 hours can help guide progression. If you develop leakage, pelvic heaviness, pain or significant fatigue, the running load may need to be reduced or adjusted.

Recovery also depends on sleep, breastfeeding, nutrition, hydration and the amount of physical and emotional load you are already managing.

An Individualised Return to Running

Returning to running after childbirth should not be based on pressure to ‘bounce back’. It should be a progressive process that reflects your tissue recovery, strength, joint control, symptoms and personal goals.

At Pelvic Prime & Physiotherapy, we assess pelvic floor function, abdominal recovery, lower-limb strength, impact tolerance and movement control before developing an individualised return-to-running plan.

Whether you are preparing for your first postpartum run or experiencing leakage, heaviness or pain while running, a postnatal physiotherapy assessment can help you progress with greater confidence.

Book a Postnatal Running Assessment

If you are considering running after childbirth, contact Pelvic Prime & Physiotherapy in Brisbane to arrange a postnatal pelvic floor and return-to-running assessment.

Research Sources

Goom T, Donnelly G, Brockwell E. (2019). Returning to running postnatal: Guidelines for medical, health and fitness professionals managing this population.

Christopher SM, Donnelly G, Brockwell E, et al. (2024). Clinical and exercise professional opinion of return-to-running readiness after childbirth: an international Delphi study and consensus statement. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(6), 299-312.

Deering RE, Donnelly GM, Brockwell E, et al. (2024). Clinical and exercise professional opinion on designing a postpartum return-to-running training programme: an international Delphi study and consensus statement. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(4), 183-195.

Selman R, Early K, Battles B, et al. (2022). Maximizing recovery in the postpartum period: a timeline for rehabilitation from pregnancy through return to sport. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 17(6), 1170-1183.

Chu SR, Boyer EH, Beynnon B, Segal NA. (2019). Pregnancy results in lasting changes in knee joint laxity. PM&R, 11(2), 117-124.