Did you suffer from PGP (SPD) and end up on crutches?

[TinkerBellesMum]

I've been suffering for almost three years, it gets worse in pregnancy and eases off in between. This pregnancy I've been seen early because of it and been told I'll be put on crutches if it gets bad, they were supposed to put me on crutches last time but Tink came before it could be sorted out. I don't know how bad it's got to be before I can actually get them. I know it isn't as bad now as it could be, but I can't imagine being in much more pain. Paracetamol/ co-codamol don't touch it, I often walk with one of my feet pointing in and the leg fairly straight because I can't do anything with it. The pain in my dimples hits with each step on the same side. I can't even walk 1/4 mile to the childminders, I have to get a bus which is costing me £3 a day/ £12 a week.

How bad did you get before they would put you on crutches?

Hi TinkerBellsMum

I spent 3.5 months on crutches when pregnant with dd, and 1 month afterwards. Can totally sympathise, SPD is awful awful awful!! It started in my 5/6th month of pregnancy and deteriorated so quickly that they put me on crutches within a few weeks. Where do you live? There's an osteopath in Tumbridge Wells who does wonders with SPD and who finally taught me to walk properly (like you, i was walking a certain way to minimise the pain but it only made it worse!)

I'm in Birmingham, so not really that close. I don't have any control over my leg when it goes I feel like I'm dragging it along.

The thing that really annoys me is when HCP's say it goes ten days after birth - which one?!?! I've had it for three years, third pregnancy and it's not gone yet. I think it's actually more injury than the normal PGP. I fell when I was pregnant with my angel baby, I went into labour four days later and in that time I had developed PGP. When Tink was born I couldn't walk to the NNU and had to have a porter take me every time. One day I had a NN nurse tell me I should be walking it by now (I'd had a section) I told her I had a bad back and she said I shouldn't have because it was long enough after the birth. She wouldn't even have it when I said I had an injury and was waiting surgery (still waiting, they seem to have forgotten!)

Hi, I know, i was told something along the same lines (about it taking only a couple of weeks to recover) and the physio seemed all surprised that I hadn't! Have you joined the Pelvic partnership? They might be able to put you in touch with a physio/osteopath nearer to you, one you've had your surgery(i tried 4 physios before i found the right one so keep trying!) I've only got one baby and that was bad enough trying to look after her when i was incapacitated, i don't know what i'll do if i get SPD again with the next one!! did you find that it got worse with each pregnancy?

The physio said she doesn't want me to see another one when I've had this baby as it needs to be seen by a specialist doctor and investigated properly. When I was pregnant two years ago they said it would probably need surgery, but I don't know what will happen yet.

It wasn't too bad in my first pregnancy, only affected me in the last few days. For the following three months before getting pregnant I struggled to get around and had days where I couldn't even pick my feet up. I started the pregnancy with Tink with the pain and spent a lot of time in hospital during the pregnancy. The hospital beds didn't help my back and I had a couple of accidents in the hospital that made it worse. Started this pregnancy with SI pain, before I even knew I was pregnant. I'm not sure how bad it is this time compared to last. I think although I had it all the way through before it got worse around 20 weeks when I was admitted for a month, I'm currently 18 weeks so maybe I'll see the difference soon. Last time as well I was at home alone so the pain was a bigger part of my day, whereas now I have to look after Tink so the end of the day tends to be worse. During the day I'm restricted in what I can do, I can't pick her up easily (not so bad when I have her) and I can't walk far so end up getting buses everywhere and taxis home normally as the buses don't come back . My back feels permanently bruised (been told it probably is from the fall and I guess being on anticoagulation doesn't help) and Tink likes to do piggy backs which hurts, then she puts her toes between the vertebrae or into my SI joints and the pain cripples me.

lol I sound like I'm falling apart!

Oh, you poor thing. I hope it doesn't get any worse. But good luck with the new baby and let me know how you get on with the surgery!! (i'm contemplating gettin preg again soon but a bit scared as i still feel tinges of SPD pain quite often - but obviously nothing like before!)

I could have had crutches, except that I have RSI in my hands and wrists and crutches would make it worse, and as this is my first pregnancy it's been reasonably easy for me to stick to a 200-yard walking limit most days, so didn't bother. When I do walk it's with my knees together.

The physio recommended hiring a wheelchair or borrowing one from the Red Cross if I want to go further from home and have someone to push me - self-pushing on pavements is a lot harder than I thought and my hands aren't amused. I hired one for two weeks a while back, and now have a much better one that I got from www.wheelfreedom.com who are very cheap and have excellent service (I live nearby so avoided the delivery charge).

Apart from the classic SPD in my pubis, the rest of my pelvis is in perfect nick (tweaked by osteopath, confirmed by obstetric physio), so I'm hopeful I really will be better soon after birth once I stop overproducing relaxin...

Not sure how I'd manage if I had a toddler already. Beg as many friends as possible to do some babysitting, I guess.

notcitrus it sounds like you are falling apart It's funny how we end up walking because of it. It would be comical if it wasn't! How bad had you got when they suggested crutches?

Kitstelsmum I don't know if they will operate yet. As it's more complicated than just PGP I don't know what they would do. It is supposed to predispose you to it again - a friend won't get pregnant because when she was pregnant with her third they said her next pregnancy will put her in a wheelchair for life

Tink - it feels exactly like I'm falling apart! I swear Squirmy is trying to get his elbows as well as his head inside my pelvis...

Let's see - I called in sick end of week 24, saw midwife on the Monday who saw me limp in with the stick and said "So that's one urgent referral to the obstetric physio. Anything else I can help you with?", saw osteo and physio later that week.

I had to get a cab to the osteo as no way could I do the usually 8-min walk to the station - it had taken me 25 min to get home the previous week and I was crying in pain by the end. After the osteo I managed to walk up to a bus stop and get various buses home with almost no walking, and then the physio assessed me, told me I wasn't allowed to commute to work any more, offered crutches but decided best not.

It was a bit better by then as I'd had a week at home doing nothing - trying to commute even by getting bus to next station, ramp, then buses from Victoria and what used to be a 2-min walk to the office, was just wearing me out and I ended up crying in the office. I've been rationed since to about 300 yards a day, and if I stick to that (there's a bus stop 100 yards away) I can do one small outing every couple days. If I exceed that, then I'm in bed for the next couple days. This last few weeks I've been doing even less.

Crutches aren't that expensive - you could hire or buy some if the physio won't offer you them to try. I think the Red Cross lend them too.

Apparently because my pain is at least restricted to the pubis and hormone-related, I've got a decent chance of it not recurring or not being worse - it's a different issue to other pelvic girdle problems. I hope your medical advisers are supportive and can do something useful.

tinkerbellesmum, i am possibly suffering from SPD. I have 12 weeks left, and am waiting on a physio referral to come through. i cant walk more than a few metres without pain slowing me down/making me hobble/stop completly. i feel like someone is driivng a great big needle from one side of my hips to the other, and i feel like my fanny is bruised and falling apart.

i just want some crutches and/or a belt to help me, cos atm i cant walk anywhere and am using the car far too much for short journies.

am only taking paracetamol at, as giving codeine during 2nd pregnancy when i developed it near the end. but all i can do atm is sleep or hobble round the house. i went to my sisters today and i feel shattered already.

problem is i cant sleep at night as i get some uncomfortable pains if i lie on one side too long.

Oh Tink you have my every sympathy you too misdee (can't believe you have only 12 week left bet it feels like ages though) I have had PGP in each of my 3 pregnancies too, the lat one was horrendous, I was offered crutches but refused as I have two toddlers to look after too so I couldn't take them to nursery on crutches. My pain was in my pubis but more on my right hand side down my leg and also felt like I had a red hot poker up my bum. Even changing gear in the car hurt anything that moved my right leg. I had physio she told me my right side was up from my left (should be equal) and even when she pulled it back straight it went again, she said the only cure was delivery belt didn't help either.

Only thing that worked was not moving only when completely necessary. At weekends I did nothing and during the week only the most necessary things, didn't go upstairs unless I really had to etc double edged though as the more you sit the sorer you get but if you keep moving once you do rest you pay for it

I'm lucky apart from a few twinges it's almost gone now.

Get your MW to refer you to physio asap