ongoing pelvis issues long after pregnancy

[hobnob57]

I had raging SPD in my first pregnancy from about 17 weeks. That was 5 years ago. I ended up with an emcs and had a long recovery from that. I BF for a year. It took until dd1 was about 18 months old before I felt remotely normal again, in that I could get out of a car one leg at a time or turn over in bed 'normally', despite weekly pilates.

I got pg again when dd1 was 2. This pg was night and day comared with the first one. I still had pelvis issues, but they were manageable and mostly concentrated in my left SI joint which is very loose. My SP joint was pretty good. I had an assisted VBAC and felt on top of the world. I lost loads of weight bf dd2 and by 12 months, despite bf for that long again, I felt I was winning the battle with my split abdominals and my pelvis was no worse that it had ever been.

However, since Christmas I just feel like I have fallen apart. My muscle tone seems to have disappeared, I feel like a bag of bones. My pelvis and lower back clunk and crunch around every time I move, as if there is nothing holding them together, particularly my left side. I am just back from pilates and it is really aching just from the physicality of lying on my left side and moving my weight to change positions. I have seem a physio recently who says that I am naturally very flexible and that something is going on which is making me even more flexible than normal, and that time, pilates and age will sort it out. She doesn't really know what to do with me now other than refer me to an orthopedic surgeon for a scan which would tell me if I have osteoporotic wear, but she is pretty sure I don't because of the good spells I have had.

Why I feel worse now than I did when I was pg with all that relaxin I don't know. I am starting to come up with all kinds of outlandish theories: my cycle is almost 3-weekly at the moment which can't be helping, things have got progressively worse since I started eating gluten and dairy again after being off it whilst bf so can that affect muscle tone? The physio says pain can switch off muscles - can gut discomfort do that? I have weak arches in my feet - will they affect the strength of my glutes and abdominals? Did something in my post-emcs stitch-up get stitched up wrongly? I did have pains in my left lower abs afterwards and was told it is probably adhesions. My tummy button has migrated to the right so I am pretty convinced there is something awry there, but the physio has never commented on it.

I am pretty exasperated with myself - sorry for the monster self-indulgent post. I just want to know what I can actually DO to speed up the return of normality. I want to be able to play hopscotch with my daughter, to take up jogging, to ceilidh without trying to keep my knees together, to do gardening without seizing up the next day, to get out of a chair without lurching like quasimodo for the first few steps, to have sex without feeling like something is about to pop.

Am I just a double jointed freak or is this actually normal?

oh crumbs herbietea, that is pretty horrific stuff. It never actually occurred to me that you get surgery for this . But walking with sticks is severe and I am so sorry to hear that you are still suffering after being through all that. Do you think the surgery helped at all? Or has it been a lot of pain and worry for no material gain? My stepdad had a spinal fusion done that didn't work and I think a part of him regrets putting himself through it.

Nobody warns you that pregnancy can change your life forever in this way....and here I was getting broody for #3 and hoping for an exercise-based quick fix!

Were you very flexible before your pregnancy?

My idea of heaven would be to see someone who can wire me into some machine and tell me whether my muscles work properly (I just can't seem to wake up my LHS obliques and glutes properly), if not why not, and what, if anything, I can do about it. But I doubt that is even possible, never mind realistic. But specialist physio sounds good. I might give the GP a go.

Hey there, I've no experience of SPD, but I did have a terrible time with knee and hip joints a few years back.

What helped me beyond all recognition were orthotics - insoles, in other words. I had to go back to my GP for a repeat prescription of painkillers (I was in a pretty bad way) and happened to see a locum GP who said he thought I had a problem with my arches, and suggested I see a podiatrist. Went to see one, who did a bunch of tests and found I had pretty much every problem you could have - overextendable joints, overflexibility, collapsing arches. She gave me some insoles then and there, I left the clinic and walked for 20 minutes - longer than I had for about four months. Eventually I got prescription orthotics - specifically made for my feet. I never think about my joints these days.

May not be the solution for you, but as you mentioned weak arches, I thought I should mention. Really hope you find the right thing for you, anyway

That is really interesting. I have wondered about this for a while now, especially after dd1 has orthotic insoles now after getting sore legs all the time. I used to do fun runs when I was at school and I got hip pain then, so I'm thinking this is not a new problem.

Ah, if you got hip pain, I'd definitely suggest at least looking into it. Honestly, it changed my life overnight. Whereabouts are you based? If you're in London, I can give you the name of the practice I went to?

Thanks for the offer. I am miles away from London, but will try my gp. Failing that there is a clinic nearby that offers orthotics.

Phoned they physio again, who told me to see the GP and ask for an xray. So did that today. Now I know I've done all I can to improve things and they are not improving, I am very impatient to see this xray and get on with whatever may need done. Goodness knows when I'll get the appointment through though.

Hi hobnob57- you sound like me! All of your 'wishes' really resonate with me as does the feeling like a bag of bones with no muscle holiding it all together. I have had SPd in both pregnancies, although it started at about 34 weeks and was relatively mild with dd1 and disappeared after birth but started at 12 weeks and was bad with dd2. It has never disappeared (dd2 is 2 now) but I have had better and worse periods.

I'm not sure I can offer you much as I am in a similar position but I have found osteopathy very helpful (although costly) particularly cranial osteopathy.

I am waiting for a referral to a physio as my GP feels that would help.

It's rubbish isn't it!?! - although nowhere near as rubbish as for poor you herbietea

Reading your first post back, I think an osteopath would help with the clunking/ bag of bones feeling as at least he/she could get the correct alignment sorted.

I'm 7.5 months past dd3. I still have pain & collapsing hips/knees. Osteo helped but they would put me back in place & last a max 3 days. I'm trying to get the muscles back in place now.

I have pinpointed some stuff which makes it worse & avoid them but it's slow going.

I have orthotic insoles - they make a big difference.

See a podiatrist.

Dandy - do you have SPD? Do they improve that?

Mine is actually better in decent soled shoes (dMs mainly) or fit flops. Thin soled stuff makes me ache

God how rubbish.

First off- You should be feeling better not worse for pilates.

Tell me, are you doing 1-2-1 pilates or are you at the back of a big class doing what everyone else does? As closely tailored 1-2-1 pilates, preferably with machines but mat-based otherwise, preferably with someone who knows something about post-natal women- has changed my life. It's bloody expensive but worth every penny. I had terrible SPD and several months after DD was born couldn't stand on one leg. Now I am much better. But I think if I was just doing willy nilly big class down the gym pilates it might aggravate it TBH, like you say.

My osteo is super also- but in London so no good for you.

My pain seems to be three main types:

• pain in my left hip that aches and is not pleasant but doesn't require pain relief

-a general weakness and pain in the insides of my thighs and 'undercarriage'

• excruitating pain in the pubic area. When I feel unable to move my knees more than a few cm apart That is by far the worst!

They interchange depending on what I have been doing. I seem to find some exercise is helpful.
When I get the pain in the middle, that is when I generally go to the osteopath.

I'll try to keep this brief, but I was a severe SPD/PGP case too. I'm 16 months on after DS1 and only now am not in chronic pain every day. I have had to maintain the limited lifestyle up until probably January this year when NHS physio discharged me saying 'at least your hips are remaining more stable' but there is nothing else we can do for you. I have had clicking in the front pubis sympysis and SI joints getting 'stuck', couldn't lie on my side for around more than 5 minutes and even then it took up until this year to be able to do that. I still take the stairs one by one, and bum into the car first and swing legs round. Pain and numbness in vaginal area, and swelling of legs, numbess, sciatic pain etc etc I think you all know the score.

I saw a chiro during my pregnancy which helped for a few days at a time, but obviously no lasting effect. I had an emcs and my tummy has been very sensitive up until very recently (worked on by structural integration practitioner)
I had a very very large diastasis split of my tummy muscles and have now almost closed them using the Julie Tupler method (and this has strengthened my core muscles thus helping with lower back pain and holding the symphsis in place better) www.maternalfitness.com/

I have researched a lot on this, and found a woman who is a 'structural integration' practitioner, which is part of the rolfing family. I am serious when I say this - I have never felt better. In 6 sessions she has worked on nearly every part of my body and the chronic daily pain in everything I do has dramatically reduced. The first session dealt with my hips and hamstrings, I had the best night sleep ever since before falling pregnant. I can actually walk into a supermarket and push the trolley now. But in all seriousness, I feel almost back to normal, but am still watching what I am doing so not to overdo anything. I now have hope that I will really be able to walk like I used to. Since the structural work has been done, my feet feel better (no more ortho insoles) my body is more in alignment. Once the work has been done your body remains in the position, therefore no need to keep going back for treatments for ever.

I think I am one of the lucky ones from what I am reading here, my heart goes out to every woman who has been suffering.

Wow, thanks for the replies.

I have tried osteopathy and, as others have said, it doesn't last long enough to be of any value and is £££. That's why I tried the physio because she did manage to manipulate it a couple of times but again, it just doesn't stay. Insoles are something I have thought of. I've worn Earth shoes the past few years which do help, but I think my poor arches need some tailored support as even the Earth supports aren't high enough. Rolfing sounds intriguing, by my closest rolfer only does horses

I think things were much better for me in my second pg because I was better trained at dealing with rolling over in bed, getting out of the car, and generally keeping my knees together. So my habits are generally good. And, thank Goodness, that sharp SPD pain is a rarity for me after the osteopathy and pilates. But this SI and lower back looseness is doing my nut in. My pain is not as bad as it has ever been, but I just feel so limited by it, and a bit defeated by it all.

I'm not sure that DH's choice of a car with sports suspension can help either