Bad back still - four and half months after giving birth.

[Flip]

Now the kids seem to be on the mend I've allowed myself time to address my own problems.

I had a pretty bad pregnancy from about 26 weeks and the midwife said I had symphosis pubis and referred me to a physiotherapist. The pain was so severe that by 32 weeks I couldn't get in and out of bed without help and to turn over in the night I had to wake dh. I could no longer walk around the supermarket and ended up using the wheelchairs they provide. The physio wasn't much help. Just advise on how to complete daily living with ease which I was already doing most of.

I was assured that after giving birth within a couple of weeks everything would sort itself out. That has not been the case. I do feel a hundred times better. I can put my shoes on, climb stairs, get in and out of bed and turn over. But I had such cronic lower back and inner thigh pain that sometimes I just want to cry. Dh and I have only had sex twice since I gave birth because of the pain. I could barely walk for two days afterwards because of what felt like a twisted ligarment in my inner thigh.

I was so careful after having ds2. I used to change him on the kitchen table so I wasn't kneeling on the floor. Dh always bathed him and I never carried him in his carseat. I even got a very lightweight pram so I wasn't lifting a big heavy thing out of the car. But the pain seems to be getting worse and ds2 is getting bigger. He's 15lb now.

Did anyone else who suffered from this have a sort of relapse a few months later? Can anyone advise me as I'm sat here now trying desperatly to find a comfy position. I really don't want to go down the route of pain killers and I try and avoid them at all costs.

Can anybody help?

Flip, I have ben suffering with spd (mild compared to yours) having not really had it in previous 2 pregnancies. I would highly recommend that you get yourself to an Osteopath or McTimmoney Chiropractor. What can happen post natally is that when all the Relaxin that loosened the pelvic joints goes away they can realign themselves out of line and a couple of treatments should sort you out. I have never found physiotherapy to be useful for this sort of acute problem, but have seen Chiroprators and osteopaths thoughout all three pregnacies and postnatally with excellent results. Hope this helps.

Hi Flip

No advice really, but I can totally sympathise with you. I had ds2 in November, so he is now 5 months old. I had SPD during the latter stages of this pregnancy and also when I was expecting ds1. I've also got pain across the front of my pelvis and down my inner thighes, which seems to be getting worse. I was complaining to dp this am about getting a docs appointment.

Having just seen emmagee's post, I'm now convinced to take it further.

At least it sounds like it can be sorted out with treatment. I hope you manage to get some treatment too. Take care.

After both my babies were born I found that I developed very severe back pains. I have a long-standing lower-back problem, the remains of a whiplash injury, and SPD, and all those intensified when each child was about 2 months old. I also developed upper-back problems that made it extremely difficult to feed them. What really sorted these pains out were physiotherapy and osteopathy.

As the therapists explained to me, the pregnancy hormones that loosened my joints up (and therefore eased the lower back pain during pregnancy but triggered the SPD) hadn't yet left my system, which had already been put out of ballance by pregnancy and delivery, and then I start lugging great big heavy babies around. Unless (or even if) you have good core body strength, it's almost to be expected. Another thing 'they' don't warn you about when you have a baby!

Lottie was born over 2 years ago and my back has ached forever! I went to the osteopath for the 1st time last week and he sadi that everything that is wrong with my back is from having a child. Being pregant, the birth, breastfeeding and carrying her around (still carryoing her now) all have contributed to my back problems. Most of it was sorted in the first session, like the crushed nerve and the detached ribs, he's still having to work on my pelvis and the last 2 bones on my spinal column and the muscles which have gone into spasm in that area.

Go to an osteopath asap is my advice to you.

xxx TC

My osteopath told me that breastfeeding is a main cause of back problems in women btw.

Sorry that should read one of the main causes women suffer from back pain, not THE mian reason.

Flip, if you are breastfeeding, do you lay your ds2 on a pillow or cushion (or change bag if you are out of the house)? Sorry if that's an obvious point, but it is always tempting to cuddle or support babies with your arms and that does strain your back. Which is the last thing you need after everything else. Poor you. Sympathy.

Pilates. Seriously, it can change your life.

I had years of back pain after my first pregnancy, and started Pilates in desperation after having tried everything else and spent a fortune on osteopaths.

It works by strengthening the lower abdominal muscles which support pretty much the whole of your body. If these muscles are weak, everything else will be out of synch. When you start, the exercises seem like nothing much, but once you get the hang of it will have a major effect on your posture and strength, and relieve pain in affected areas.

Make sure you go to a proper Pilates studio, though, as some of the 'Pilates-lite' offered in gyms is a bit mickey mouse.

Gulp!

I'm not breast feeding now. I did three weeks and then had to stop because I needed to start taking medication again.

But I'm over a week late with my period and we don't use any protection. My back has got increasingly worse in the last couple of weeks.

Ds2 was a miracle! I'm supposed to have gone through the menopause. I can't be pregnant again! I just can't! Maybe if I say it enough it will be true....

I've been to see a Chiropractor after suffering from lower back pain after the birth of DS2. Turned out to be a twisted pelvis, similar to the problem emmagee mentions, he also said it is very common after childbirth. He mentioned about the breastfeeding too and said that a lot of back problems aren't helped by breastfeeding, bad posture when sitting feeding and also carrying all that extra weight out front.

Fingers crossed for you Flip...

Backpain is also a result of poor abdominal muscles which are unable then to hold you 'innards' in position which puts a strain on your back. It is important to strengthen the abdominal muscles by doing regular exercises. It is so hard to do when you are looking after babies and other children (never managed it myself) but it will help back problem in the longrun.

My back is getting worse!!

I still haven't managed to make an appointment to see anyone because dh is sick and so are both the kids. No time for me to be feeling delicate.

I did a pregnancy test and it was negative but I still haven't got my period and I don't even feel like it's due.

There's a baby group on at the clinic today and they've got a physiotherapist from the hospital doing a talk about pelvic floor. Do you think it's worth me dragging myself the half mile and asking her advice? I have been seen a couple of times at the hospital whilst pregnant and suffering from symphposis pubis. I took two Ibuprofen last night and managed a decent nights sleep but during the day I'm in agony and I don't like taking pain killers.

flip - I had this - went to osteopath didn't help, took very strong painkillers etc. In the end was referred by GP to a physiotherapist. She gave me some very gentle exercises to do and within about 2 weeks it was pretty much gone - I couldn't believe I had struggled on for so long when it was so easily fixed. have you been to the gp?

No I haven't been to the GP for me. I have been for everyone else in the family in the last week though. I think it's time I put myself first. I can't even pick ds2 up off the floor anymore so he's having to sit in his pram most of the time. Changing his nappy is a nightmare.

flip - go to the docs. honestly. I was the same, couldn't take DS out of his car seat, out of cot - it's agony and I sympathise.

I'm a physio who ONLY treats pregnant and postnatal women. I would agree that most back pain problems (if not pre-existing) are due to weakened overstretched abdominals which can no longer protect the lumbar pine so well, combined with asking the back to lift, bend awkwardly (think car seats, baths, cot sides etc). Also you tend to spend periods of time feeding and when you're tired(when aren't you?) it's hard to maintain an ideal posture. The answers lie in getting stronger (Pilates-style core stability); being symmetrical (don't carry on one hip; don't tuck your legs to one side when sitting) and ASK for help for the heavy stuff. Hoovering, mopping, sweeping will tend to make a bad back worse. It may be that you need some hands-on therapy to sort out any underlying alignment problems that may have resulted from pregnancy/delivery. Hope that helps.