 |
|
|
|
|
 Mama Needs New (Running) Shoes
 |
Q: Why should I get fitted for new shoes after I have a baby?
A: During pregnancy, your body doesn’t only go through obvious changes in your chest, stomach and hips, but also through huge changes in your entire muscular and skeletal system. You have a number of additional hormones, but Relaxin is the one you can blame for a larger shoe size. Relaxin allows your muscles and joints to become more pliable to help assist with the physical changes of your growing baby and body. All of these changes affect how you walk and run, thus leading to the need for a new shoe fitting and most likely new shoes.
When pregnant, the angle in your body called the “Q Angle” shifts. It is the angle from your hips to your knees. As your hips expand throughout your pregnancy, and your pelvis opens up to accommodate your growing baby, the Q Angle shifts. Your knees and hips shift in their alignment, thus affecting the way you walk and run. It is easily visible when looking at the back of your shoes at the beginning of your pregnancy and at the end of your pregnancy. The way the rubber sole is worn is affected by pronation and supination of your foot. The intensity of pronation and supination shifts due to the shifting of your body.
Pronation is when your feet rotate laterally- away from your body. Supination is when they move medially- in towards your body. While you may not think there is much change going on, it truly affects your hips, knees, ankles and thus rolls into affecting the pronation and supination of your feet.
After pregnancy, your body takes time to shift back into pre-pregnancy alignment and your joints are still quite pliable. Relaxin is still flowing through your joints to help shift your body, but it can take at least 9 -12 months to feel back to 100%. Unfortunately, your shoes size may have increased for good.
All of these changes affect your need for running shoes. Wait until you are at least 6 weeks postpartum to get a shoe fitting. You may, or may not, be a shoe size bigger than pre-pregnancy. Your weight distribution will be altered, possibly equating to a different style or brand of running shoe than you used pre-pregnancy. When looking for running shoes, do your research and go to a specialty running store with Kinesiologists and Physical Therapists on staff. Often you can be videotaped and monitored running on a treadmill, helping decipher which shoe is best for your current gait. Once in a perfect pair of shoes, your body will know, and you’ll be ready to hit the trails!
|
|
|