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What load actually reaches your pelvis when you run? For years we couldn't really answer that — we just said "wait twelve weeks, then go." Babe, we've come a long way.

Dr. Megan James is back — and this time it's Dr. James. She finished her PhD and brought two new papers that quietly shift how we think about returning to running postpartum.

First: a graded pelvic loading pathway, built by measuring how much load actually reaches the pelvis across walking, hopping, jumping and running. The surprise star? Grounded running — a gliding, no-flight-phase style that showed consistently lower load at the pelvis than slow running at the same pace.

Second: a return-to-run guide co-designed with postpartum runners. Their ask — treat us like mums who run, not athletes who happen to be mums. It's a guide, not a deadline. And if you're not running yet, you are not behind.

We talk about:

-Returning to running after injury versus after pregnancy

-Why the research began with a nulliparous population

-Hypervigilance and fear of movement

-What impact forces actually reach the pelvis during running

-Slow running, grounded running, and perceived impact

-Creating a postpartum return-to-run guide

-Looking at the whole person, not just the pelvic floor

Note: This is education, not a prescription. For a plan built for your body, your birth and your symptoms, see your maternity care team and a pelvic floor PT.

Time Stamps

1:00 introduction

6:23 setting up the research

12:28 what they measured through the research

16:45 surprises in the study

21:20 slow running and grounded running

26:42 rate of the perceived impact

32:29 explaining the guide paper

40:23 changing perception with feedback from moms

45:32 the one-size-fits-all trap

52:05 looking at the mom as a whole

54:46 advice to former self

58:12 potential future research

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

Course waitlist: https://course.carriepagliano.com/RSAWL

CONNECT WITH MEGAN:

LinkedIn: @meganljames16

The Active Mom Podcast is A Real Moms' Guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond for active moms & the professionals who help them in their journey.

This show has been a long time in the making!

You can expect conversation with moms and professionals from all aspects of the industry.

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