12/11/2025
Runner Annisa Kumerow knew she wanted to return to running after she had her baby, but after nine months of pregnancy and a c-section, she wasn't sure how her body would handle the return. With hormone, life and body changes, she was fearful that just jumping back into running could make her condition worse, or hurt her ability to run in the future.
Annisa soon learned that it was more than just running, or training to run; it was about addressing areas of weakness, even ones she had prior to pregnancy.
"Previously, I had only felt 'strong' when I was running, but the core exercises and strengthening my clinician had me do were challenging enough that I really felt like my fitness was improving even beyond where I was pre-pregnancy," Annisa said.
Annisa's goal with physical therapy was to return to running and hopefully run a half-marathon. While she was able to meet those goals - running again at five months postpartum and running a half-marathon five months later, she achieved much more than that.
"I was absolutely terrible at doing any kind of strength, core or stretching (exercises) before, and my treatment really helped teach me the importance of those," Annisa shared. "I also had NO IDEA how to relax my pelvic floor before. Being able to learn to control a part of my body that had always been tense was a game changer."
It wasn't easy for Annisa to get up and make it to pelvic floor physical therapy. Affected by postpartum depression and anxiety, Annisa worked with CoreVia Physical Therapist Alex Baran, who was able to encourage and listen to her as she worked through the mood disorders in addition to completing physical therapy.
Now, Annisa is expecting her second child and looks forward to incorporating what she learned in physical therapy at home, but she also knows who to turn to for postpartum.
