Postpartum Running, Diastasis & Leakage: What Really Happens to Your Pelvic Floor — with DR. SABINE VESTING

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Sabine Vesting, a pelvic health physiotherapist and researcher whose work explores how exercise impacts the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles postpartum. Her research dives into common symptoms like urinary incontinence, pelvic girdle pain, and vaginal heaviness, and how they affect daily life for new moms.Now based in Ottawa, Dr. Vesting leads cutting-edge studies at the Motor Function Measurement (MFM) Lab, including research on running-induced urinary incontinence, pelvic floor responses after a single run, and the use of intravaginal devices to reduce leakage in female runners. She’s also writing a review on how to best measure intra-abdominal pressure during exercise.We talk about:-Does diastasis actually matter?-Coning and doming explained-Finding exercise you enjoy postpartum-Urinary incontinence and new solutions-Intravaginal devices to understand the pelvic floor in sport and runningTime Stamps1:00 Introduction6:05 work as a PhD10:40 does diastasis even matter?16:24 pelvic girdle pain after pregnancy 21:00 changes over the last 15 years28:58 being comfortable with activity postpartum34:21 looking at pain and causes40:18 getting better measurements 51:42 intra-abdominal pressure55:32 doing what works with patients58:28 rapid fire questionsCONNECT WITH CARRIEIG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/Website: https://carriepagliano.comCONNECT WITH SABINE:Website: https://mfmlab.caLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-vesting-aa4317135/?originalSubdomain=se We are currently recruiting participants for our RCT, aimed at evaluating whether readily available intravaginal devices, such as off-the-shelf pessaries or tampons, can effectively reduce or eliminate urine leakage during running, enabling active women to remain physically engaged. The study offers a remote option and welcomes female runners from all of North America who experience urine leakage while running.https://mfmlab.ca/portfolio-items/running-induced-urinary-incontinence-rct/The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌