SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) any one else? Need advice

[Auntylisa]

Hi, I am six months pregnant and have SPD for a month, getting progessively worse. I'm now on crutches with a pelvis support; doctor gave me Codiene, but i did my own research and general advice says i shouldnt take it during the last trimester. (i've generally had a nightmare with getting help for this whole thing). Paracetmol doesnt even start to help. can anyone make any recommendations? thanks very much

cranial osteopathy helped me last time. I'm sure you'll get alot more support on here, there has been loads of threads on this subject.

have you tried posting under pregnancy too?

Hi auntylisa, are you saying that you are finding that you can't treat the pain with pain killers?

Can you give more detail about how much you are walking about/carrying things/weightbearing activities?

The Pelvic Partnership is on the net and has some great information about the condition. I know one of the founders in real life.

www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk

I had SPD and am out the other side

Good idea Flier, will post there too. Milou2, i am still working (trying to work from home as much as possible), trying not to carry bags/shopping if i can avoid it. Will take a look at that web site, very helpful; i didnt take the codiene and not sure what else to take. This is my first child so i am luckier than some in that i dont have to manage another little on too, but i am now at the point i cant get in our out of bed alone or walk any distance without my crutches. It even hurts when i'm just sitting now which i cant quite understand!

what sort of a pelvic support are you wearing? I was given a tubi grip to wear first time around and this actually made it worse.

Oh poor you.

If you are already following the advice on the website that all you can do to help is litterally put your feet up.

I was like you and ended up signed off for 2 weeks because one morning I got up and my legs failed me.

I spent the 2 weeks in bed and it made a huge difference, I could walk for the last 3 months.

You really need to rest as much as you can and consider early maternity leave. You don't want to be exhausted for delivery and first few weeks.

I wore a maternity panty/belt which I bought in M&S. The panty is really tight mesh fabric and holds the crotch firmly+the belt supports belly.
I found that more helpfull than the medic belts.

Do lots of pelvic tilts and think about your posture and WRITE A BIRTH PLAN AND TELL THE MIDWIVES/DR NO STIRRUPS WHATEVER HAPPENS.
Stand and kneel to deliver if you can and if they really need to have you lying then be on your side.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Its hard to get up and down when wearing a tube grip - i wore a pasmina tied tightly around my pelvis over my clothes - v funky!

Here is what info i give to clients with spd (mainly from PP website):

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction

SPD ? During Pregnancy

? Wear a support ? if you cant get hold of a pregnancy support, then you can wear a maternity swimsuit or tie some old sheeting around you pelvis, you can also use a sarong.
? Ironing and Hoovering will worsen the pain ? try not to do these.
? Take stairs one at a time
? Don?t overreach or stretch if possible
? Paracetamol generally don?t help ? try a hot wheat pack instead
? Use a pillow in between your knees when you sleep or get a pregnancy support pillow which you can curl around ? try to keep the pelvis in line
? See a physiotherapist or chiropractor
? Keep your legs together
? Try not to lift anything too heavy ? especially if you are not wearing a support

SPD ? In Labour

? Don?t let anyone put your legs in stirrups ? you could end up with a split pelvis
? Don?t let anyone hold your leg back to push ? you could end up with a split pelvis
? Try to stay upright or in water ? as this alleviates some of the pressure
? Wiggle your hips if your labour pains are in your back, but don?t over sway
? Put ?SPD Sufferer? in you birth plan so your mw?s are aware

SPD ? After Birth

? You may feel immediate relief from the pain ? however this doesn?t always last. Your pelvis is still ?loose? and this can cause problems months/yrs after. To try and minimise this from happening wear a support for a few days/weeks and see a physio/chiro after if possible.
? All of the ?during pregnancy? notes still apply for the first few weeks.
? There are homeopathic remedies (such as calc phos) which may help the healing process. See a homeopath.

Take a look at www.thepelvispartnership.org.uk for more information

You can also take some homeopathic remedies for SPD - for the pain - may be worth a trip to homeopath.

Cx

If the pain gets (is) so bad that you can't turn over in bed at night without waking up, sleep in slippery pjs/nightdresses, eg those made of silk, polyester etc and put something slippery under the bottom sheet (I used an old fashioned eiderdown with the nylon side up). This really helps lessen friction as you turn, so that it is easier to do, requires less muscles, hurts less, etc.

I can't help with the painkiller side of things as I never took any. I am quite up on the practical things you can do to lessen the pain though as I still have occasional SPD, now nearly 5 years after birth.

I had it bad aswell when pregnant with mydd . I had crutches physio support belt and drugs nothing worked .
that was until I had acupuncture , best money I ever spent .I got a lady who specialised in pregnancy and she even gae me stuff to do at home and pre/during labour.
try it you never now.

I had spd really badly in my last 2 pregnancies and was on crutches etc too. I was prescribed the codeine but tbh I was in so much pain the drugs didnt work. My youngest is 10 months old now and I still suffer with it.

Thanks ladies, for all your collective advice and sympathy. Quite amazing that there is not more that anyone can do and yet it is so debilitating. Took me an hour to do a five minute trip to fecth bread on saturday so i am now accepting my fate as sofa bound. Flier i got a flat support with stretchy bits that you pull round and secure round the front; it looks like an octopus. Can anyone also tell me if it makes the pain in labour worse or if thats safe?Should i consider a caesaren? ( I dont really want one). Again, thanks for the help and Pelvic support everyone. (that was my attempt at pelvic humour....x

Aunty lisa, some stuff about SPD and birth on this thread here. I must admit having suffered from SPD and having had a very difficult birth with ventouse delivery I would seriously consider a caesarean next time. However I didn't know at the time that having your legs in stirrups during the birth is the absolute worst thing you can do with SPD. Not that I had any choice as birth wasn't progressing. Hopefully others will post with experiences. HTH

Dear Pink teddy, thanks for link, read it and very useful, although i am feel very fearuful but knowledge is power right? I always thought id go for natural birth but i judt dont want to cause yet more damage. hope you have been recovering ok xx

Just wanted to let you know that Ive had 3 natural births- with 2 of them I suffered very severe spd. My last pregnancy I was induced but tbh 3 pushes and he was out. I had no pain whatsoever! I was ok for a couple of days but I think I was in shock at having such a fast labour but it did hit me a few days later.
Be very careful during labour and make sure the delivery mw knows that you have spd
xx

Auntylisa you are right, knowledge is power - I wish I'd known about Mumsnet when I was pregnant! I am fine now but I would say it was 6 months before I felt better and probably 12 months before I felt 100% better. Hope you are OK, have you a sympathetic physio you can talk to? Hertsnessex advice fab!

Have found a great woman where in live in south london who specialises in pregnancy/sports massage(one can lead to the other right?) who came to my house and gave me a massage, am off to the cranial osteopath today and seeing the hosptial on monday, so at least getting some attention. Am thinking of getting a private midwife so at least i am seeing the same person twice ina a row and they can help me make a decision about labour. Slow but sure!

Good idea aunty lisa. Or you could think about a doula? Lots of mumsnetters are doulas - maybe midwives too!

i had it too. lots more info about it around now. I had it 2001/2002. Bloody awful time. Still get twinges.

Great there is support here for you, i felt very alone with it, amazes me that most gp's midwives havent even heard of it.

Hi, Am new to this, so bear with me.
I've been suffering with SPD since just after christmas, having to use crutches and support belt to move anywhere. I've now got 3 weeks left until my induction date (I'm type 1 diabetic so will be induced just after 38 weeks). I've read up plenty about SPD, and all of the info suggests that your legs shouldn't be apart too much. However, I saw a midwife on friday who said it is now the policy of the hospital that legs can go anyway necessary after an epidural if given. I've search everywhere to see if I can find evidence to back this up, but to no avail. I'm starting to get really worried now. Does anybody have any idea if what she is saying is true and where her evidence comes from.
Thanks BQFM

bqfm - I had a CS because the hospital were worried about opening my legs too wide with SPD (amoungst other things). One suggestion I have read for a vaginal birth is to open your legs as wide as you comfortably can and then take one of your DH's ties and tie it around your knees. Take this into hospital with you and insist that your legs are opened no wider than this allows, even after an epidural.

Good luck! I hope it all goes to plan.

Make sure that your birth partner is aware of how important this is and will fight your corner for you. x

Thanks for that LilRedWG. I will try the tie suggestion, though not sure how impressed DH will be, but thats the least of my problems. I think my DH should be able to fight my corner in this.
Thanks again.
bqfm

Thanks for the info, sounds like you had one heck of a time with it. I've actually looked in the archives and on the medical databases (I'm a nurse, so have good access to them, including the midwifery ones, but still can't find anything there).
Thanks again.
bqfm