Debilitating post partum knee pain

[BostonRS]

I'm 4months post partum and have two injured knees - physio says a result of deconditioning from pregnancy/c section recovery, joint laxity from relaxin and things like kneeling on floor with baby.

I have exercises to do but no improvement yet. I had been really looking forward to getting back into my running and had been enjoying lots of walks with my baby. Both are off cards now as walking short distance hurts. I'm feeling very low with the lack of exercise/nature and not really getting out the house. Just see endless days ahead and struggling to see an end to this injury. Catastrophosing about it never going away and being a rubbish mum and not being able to take my baby out and about .

Anyone else experience similar and how did you cope? Did you manage to feel better? TIA

I’ve not experienced what you’re going from….but you’re only 4 months post partum! Give yourself some time….I know it’s frustrating as you feel good to go….but you still need to recover.
it will improve and you’re a great mum. Endless days are part of where you are in life right now with a newborn.
even without injury it’s recommended to wait 3 months before exercising.
be kind to yourself

Did the physio mention Pilates? Or maybe swimming? You need something low impact to strengthen everything. Pregnancy has a huge impact on your whole body and won’t bounce back overnight!

@Bluesheeps thank you for the kind words, appreciate it.

@buckingmad I have been doing gently pilates since before my knees hurt, trying to build myself up gradually and being sensible. Completely appreciate there is no quick post pregnancy bounce back, just really struggling with the injury / lack of movement and not being able to get out of the house with my baby for walks etc.

Hi @BostonRS
I'm currently suffering knee pain after giving birth to my son, I'm just over 3 months postpartum. I came across your post and wondered if your knees are now fully recovered? was there anything specific that helped you to recover? x

Hi @Beans1982 sorry for the delayed reply, I have been logged out of mumsnet for some time and only just seen this.

Really sorry to hear you're also suffering. I am fully recovered now, I saw an improvement a few weeks or so after my post above.

I saw a second physio, one specialising in women's health which was the game changer. She diagnosed a sizable diastasis recti gap as well as patella tendinitis.

Things that helped:

• icing my knees twice a day.
• applying ibuprofen gel twice a day after icing.
• taping my knees with ktape every morning to offload and help the inflammation to go down. Google taping for patella tendinitis.
• strength work in gym, making sure I didnt aggravate my knees.
• pilates exercises focused on knitting my.core back together.
• i stopped stretching and foam rolling as i think this was aggravating things.

These actions were largely based on my diagnosis. Have you seen a dr / physio? All the best to you and I hope you are feeling better v soon x

Hi @BostonRS thanks so much for replying, I wasn't sure if you'd see my message in all honesty but wanted to reach out regardless.

Glad your pain started to improve soon after your last post. I saw my GP last week as the pain wasn't going away. She did a quick check of my knees and leg movement and advised me to fill out a self-referral form for physio...so, I'm currently looking at a 3-4 month wait to see a physiotherapist.

Thanks for sharing details of things that helped ease your pain. I've not tried much yet but I have been thinking that strengthening my legs might be worth a try, I'll be sure to look into taping as well as Ibuprofen gel.

Thanks again and take care x