Pelvic Girldle Pain?

[Becky]

Ok so the past few weeks I've been having a pain in my bum - it moves so sometimes its just on one side, sometimes both. Its been getting worse, its not unbearable but I get twinges with it with certain movements and it also sometimes goes down into my leg.

Now I had similar pain when I was pregnant with Lucy but it was for a week or two and went and didn't happen again. I was told it was sciatica.

This time I've decided to read up about the pain and come across an article about Pelvic Girdle Pain and it does sound like this is what I have, the way its worse with certain sitting positions and movements.

Has anyone else come across this? I'm seeing my MW on Tuesday so I'll tell her then but I'm not sure she'll be able to do much to help? Last pregnancy when I had "sciatica" a different MW basically told me that pain is part of having a baby and if I didn't want pain I shouldn't have got pregnant!


++Edit++ I didn't realise I was posting here!! I wanted to put it in Ask A Mum!

 

[babydust]

cheeky bloody midwife

i was actually going to make a post about this tonight i have the same thing starting today its just certain ways i walk or sit i is only on my left side and feels like my hip right at the back of my bum cheek. i had something similar with dd but it didnt start until 30+ weeks and i ended up on crutches so i really hope this doesnt end the same as if this is it starting i dread to think what i will be like at 30+weeks

 

[Ani]

I started getting this last week! Ouch!!

I think it is PGP rather than sciatica, from what I have read, although I am going to ask my doc next week when I am at my app.

babydust, cant believe you ended up on crutches!! Poor you... must have been bad. x

 

[Becky]

Oh god I hope I don't end up on crutches, that must have been awful for you especially when it came to labour!

I've been reading a bit and found that if I sit properly and do my bending and lifting properly it helps a lot. Also if I get dressed sitting down instead of hopping about on one leg its improved.

Although saying that I had a flare up this morning but I think that's cos I bent over to pick something up in a silly way!

 

[Sandi4Paul]

i'm not a mum yet but i was diagnosed at 24 weeks with this, get it checked and diagnosed early or you could easily end up on crutches (xJoannx in third tri is cos her midwife fobbed her off).

Get your midwife or GP to diagnose it NOW. they will press on your pubic one quite hard, i really recommend having an empty baldder for this. DO NOT take no for an answer, push heaps, get angry if you have to but don't let them fob you off

they should then refer you to a physio for exercises and possibly a hip strap.

The early it is diagnosed the better.

things you can do right now are:
avoid high heals especially stelettos
gentle exercise only
pelvic floor exercises
get out of bed and the car with your legs together
avoid standing on one leg, sit down to get your underwear on and off
sit upright with feet support when on the couch etc
when shopping avoid pushing the trolly, get your OH to do it!

I also found rocking on my gym ball helped

Sandi

 

[kalia]

PGP is what SPD is now called. I think there are a lot of doctors still calling it SPD as most people here know it by it's old name of SPD.

Have a look at this leaflet that the physio gave me:
http://www.acpwh.org.uk/docs/ACPWH-PGP_Pat.pdf

And make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the pain.

 

[Mildly]

I was diagnosed around 20 weeks with an unstable pelvis (which is another name for it, as is SPD). I was advised to cancel my three weeks holiday travelling around Canada in an RV but luckily was able to get my moeny back through the travel insurance.

I have found that doing too much or too little movement during the day can make it worse. I go swimming twice a week which helps me keep mobile although I do find those days pretty knackering! I left work at 29 weeks on maternity leave as I was finding it difficult to cope with the pain as I was mostly sitting down all day. It is really nice to be able to potter about at my own pace - although walking the dog takes double the amount of time now

I got a hip strap from the physio and he told me that he didn't expect me to be too badly affected as I had good muscle tone in my back - so fingers crossed I can avoid crutches nearer the end He did say that the pain can continue up to 13 weeks after you give birth because of the preganncy hormones still loose in your body.

I find it worse at night, turning over in bed is agony and also taking my shoes off (I tend to wear flip flops now as lifting up my right leg is very painful. My gym ball has been a godsend, and also whilst swimming and in the water I get a bit of relief too

I would definitely get a physio referral all those who think they may be affected and good luck with it. I really hate feeling like my body is falling apart!

 

[kalia]

Everyone seems to see the crutches as a bad thing, which it's not.

I was in agonising pain and couldn't move much. Once I was given crutches I was able to get out of the house. Not everyday, some days I needed them to get to the bathroom, but it beat slowly shuffling leaning against walls!

The crutches are a good thing - they help you do more with less pain. So if you are offered them smile and be happy

 

[Mildly]

Oh no, I didn't mean to dismiss crutches, I meant I hope the pain doesn't get so bad that I will require crutches - if you know what I mean

I'm glad that they helped you out Kalia. Also just wondering have things returned to normal for you now? How long after the birth did you see a reduction in pain, if any?

 

[Becky]

Thanks for all the advice, I'm seeing my midwife on Tuesday and will def be talking to her about it!

I thought the main difference between PGP and SPD was that pain was felt in either the front or the back of the pelvis? I didn't realise they were very similar/the same thing!

 

[kalia]

Oh no, I didn't mean to dismiss crutches, I meant I hope the pain doesn't get so bad that I will require crutches - if you know what I mean

I'm glad that they helped you out Kalia. Also just wondering have things returned to normal for you now? How long after the birth did you see a reduction in pain, if any?

I didn't think you were dismissing them, don't worry

I didn't take crutches until I was already crippled by it. My friend was offered crutches when the pain would start after she'd been walking for a little bit and she didn't want to take them because she didn't think things were bad enough. I think people should take them so that they don't get that bad!

A few days after the birth there was definitely a big reduction in pain, mostly due to the weight reduduction. I still have pain if I walk for an hour or so and also whichever hip I sleep on will be sore when I wake but it is nothing like as bad as it was. I used the pushchair as a zimmer when I went out usually and the last time I used the crutches was about 4 weeks after the birth.

Please take it easy all of you. This isn't like normal aches and pains - normally if you do too much you feel worse, you rest and then you go back to how you were. With this, if you overdo things rest doesn't fix things back to how they were. You will be worse than before you overdid things until after you have your baby. This might be different for different people but that's how it was for me.

 

[Mildly]

Glad things eased up for you after the birth

 

[Ani]

Things have become really bad for me with this. Today I am in agony, I am almost crying with the pain. I went shopping, and trying to bend down to pick up some food items was just unbearable. Turning over in bed, going to sit down, going to stand up, walking - all of this hurts really bad!!!

I have my routine scan and checkup on Thursday with my doc so I guess I should wait until then? I am lucky enough to live in Spain, where I can swim every day, so thats good news for me that swimming eases it. I am at my wits end, and it has only been one day of really bad pain. Am I going to have this for the next 4 months???

 

[Mildly]

Aww sorry to hear you're having a hard time with yours Ani

Were you more energetic today than normal? Sometimes it can hurt more if you overdo it.

The leaflet that Kalia posted a link to above has some useful suggestions for coping with the pain and I've found that it is a case of trying what works for you. For instance, when swimming I still swim breast stoke as I find it doesn't trouble me. I can also stand on my right leg without any pain but my left leg is really painful to lift!

Just take it easy until your appointment on Thursday and hopefully they will be able to refer you for physio or maybe acupuncture. They may recommend some useful exercises too.

Oh also I often rely on my OH to push me as I turn over in bed which helps minimise the pain

Some people do find that their symptoms fade while others do find things get progressively worse. I think mine has sort of stabilised but it has helped that I took early maternity leave.

Hope you have a much better day tomorrow

 

[Ani]

Thanks for the tips Mildly.

To answer your question, I was at a wedding on Saturday night and I was wearing heels. And then on Sunday I just lazed about all day. So it was like excessive strain followed by complete veg-out and I have read that either of these are bad, that you should keep active but not overdo it.

I am just back from swimming and it was certainly a relief being in there, and I was able to do breast stroke. I didnt even try other strokes.

I really dont think I can take the next 15 weeks being like this...

 

[Ani]

Thanks for all the advice, I'm seeing my midwife on Tuesday and will def be talking to her about it!

I will be very interested to hear how you get on with your midwife Becky... xx

 

[Mildly]

Glad the swimming helped Ani. I went today as well. I am amazed that I can easily swim a mile but walking the dog round the village, I am slow and getting breathless (as well as waddling) With swimming I almost feel normal again

Hope your appointment goes well tomorrow Becky And to answer your earlier question, I always though PGP was the new name for SPD. I didn't realise it indicated pain in different places!

 

[lea m]

Hmm
Now Im rather worried!!
I went to see the midwife and told her about the pain in my hips! Its sometimes worse than other times and Im in agony turning over in bed! It feels like my hip is misplaced! It makes me limp when its quite bad and I cant put any weight on my left leg!
I have no pains down my leg so i know it isnt Sciatica!
The midwife refered me to the physio, she asked me all the questions and gave me some exercises to do! Pelvic floor exercises and ones to strengthen my bum muscles!?
Now no mention of SPD (though I did think that was in the front, thats where my aunt had it so didnt even enter my head to be that) or anything else so should I now mention it to her? I go back on Thursday!? I dont want to be fobbed off and it to get worse? Or do you think the physio would have said if it was PGP?

 

[Ani]

DH goes to physio every day and he is close with the therapists now, so they allowed me to go with him this morning. They gave my bum cheek a strong massage and some exercises to do when I am at home. I must say I do feel better today, but I felt better before I even went to physio. I think what made a huge difference was sleeping with a pillow between my legs, and turning in the correct way (i.e. almost sitting up, turning, and lying back down).

I hope everyone else is improving - and fingers crossed I am on the mend...

 

[Becky]

I'm just back from the Midwife. I told her about the pain and she initially said it was sciatica. I said I didn't feel it was, as I've had it before and it was more random whereas this is constant with flare ups.

She hmmed a bit and siad she thought it sounded like a trapped nerve and had given me some exercises to do. She's also written in my notes that if there's no improvement that I can be refered to physio.

So she didn't dismiss it completely but she didn't come out and say oh yes I know just what you're on about either.