Sacro-iliac pain - a pain in the a$%^!!!!

[sweetkitty]

Am nearly 25 weeks pregnant, have had the same pain I had with DD since 15 weeks. It's in my tailbone as if (TMI) someone is sticking a broom handle up my bum but has started going down my right thigh, it's bearbale during the day as long as I don't stay in the one position for long, at night once I veg on sofa it can be agony sometimes it feels like my hip is going to give way.

Today though I was carrying DD up the stairs and it was a struggle as if my hip could give way at any moment, I'm scared now I will fall over carrying her, when DP is here it's ok he will do all the carrying but it's hard during the day.

Have spoken to the midwives and they were like backpain is common in pregnancy but I was like this is not backpain it is not in my back! They have suggested physiotherapy further on in the pregnancy and paracetamol. I know it's not SPD as it's not at the front but round the back, lifting my legs up is painful too but not separating them.

I know that it will go as soon as baby is delivered but is kind of getting to me now just worried about DD really, anyone else had this and got any advice?

Sounds like siatic to me. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and have been suffering with it too.

Bloody painful isn't it!

Have you tried sitting on a birthing ball - you need to try and tilt your pelvis forward as much as possible. Yes, I'm affraid lounging on the sofa will make it worse because you are tilted back and this makes the baby rest on the siatic nerve. I've also found laying in bed very uncomfortable.

I find gental excercise helps too as it loosens up all your stiff and achey muscles. And when your sitting try placing a cushion behind your back to make sure your sitting upright.

HTH

I meant Siatica

Actually - just checked baby centre website and siatica and sacro-iliac are 2 different things.

Apparently they have similar symptoms though and are often mis diagnosed because of this.

could be spd and its made one side of your pelvis slip a little. I always found a not too hot hot water bottle good.

Don't veg on the sofa! I know, it's easier said than done, but sofa-veging is one of the worst things you can do for your back during pregnancy. I have a chronic lower-back problem, plus SPD during pregnancy, and I speak from experience her . I don't pretend to diagnose, but back pain does get refered all over the body, and the fact that it's going down your leg does suggest that it's back pain.

Do you have a birthing ball? I think you can get them from Argos fairly cheaply (not called birthing balls there though). Try kneeling and draping yourself forward over it when you want to veg. You may want a cushion under your calves and maybe another over your heels if you sit back a bit. As your bump gets bigger, deflate the ball a wee bit to accomodate it. It's very relaxing on the back.

Another position that helps is to lie on your back on the floor with your legs up the wall. Get your bum as close to the skirting board as poss, as if you're sitting on the wall. Put a book an inch or so thick under your head. Knees straight, feet flexed and curl your toes towards you. This stretches your hamstrings and sciatic nerve. When you've had enough, roll over and curl up in a foetal ball on your elbows and knees for 30secs or so before you get up again.

pelvic tilts really help sweetkitty.

I actually fell over and dislocated my sacro ileac joint when i was about 34 weeks pregnant which obviously hurt quite a bit but not as much as when i dislocated it again 9 months after having baby no.2 - that was agony

Sweetkitty - I can totally sympathise with this. It gave me all sorts of problems through all three of my pregnancies, with me sometimes being in so much pain I couldn't move and would end up in tears because of not knowing which way to go to relieve the pain iykwim. I also found getting in and out of the car painful (putting a plactic bag on the seat and swivelling both legs around together helped with this). I thought I had injured myself early in my pg with ds1, but when the pain didn't go, I had it investigated by my GP who at the time thought it was sciatica too, but upon further investigation and a referral to hospital they found it was a sacroiliac problem. I had some obstetric physio which tbh wasn't that helpful and they gave me a rather unflattering belt to wear under my clothes around my hips which was ok, if a little uncomfortable. The problem more or less went after I'd given birth each time, but it has never totally gone away and on occasions I still get the familiar twinges. I don't know if it is that common as a lot of GP's aren't very aware of it. The best thing to do is to find out what works for you and avoiding twisting etc and positions which aggravate the pain until baby arrives. I found it better at some times than at others and hopefully it won't be too unbearable for the rest of your pregnancy, but I do sympathise - honestly - it is a right PITA - quite literally!

thanks the pain has been quite bad today (I know need to get off this chair in front of the pc) thanks for the suggestions will try them and will definately be purchasing a birthing ball.

I do think sitting and lying makes it worse not that I get much of a chance with a 14 mo!!!

hi im 27 weeks pg and have got the same symptoms as you sweetkitty!
iv found that straddling a chair and keeping my legs at a 90 degree angle when im sitting down really helps. my m/w said its sciatic pain and due to the position of the baby in most cases. i also try the repositioning techniques whenever i get a mo and that seems to ease the pain aswell. i kneel down on the floor with my weight on my elbows- also on the floor- and try rocking my hips side to side this is supposed to change the position of the baby- they also use it for breech babies- and takes the weight off your sciatic nerve and also your sacro-illiac region so either way it could make a difference!!
hope that helps you.

I must join this thread as i am 24wks pregnant and i have exactly the same pain and i could have written your post myself sweetkitty.

I do actually have sciatica though and i have had it for 6 yrs now, obviously on and off in this period of time, but yesterday i was in the worst pain in my middle lower back and down my right bum cheek and top of the back of my right leg, it's that bad that i actually get stuck if i sit on the floor playing with ds.

I was nearly crying last nite as i was in so much pain i could hardly move

I am going to speak to my doctor but i am not to sure with what they can do as i remember getting this when i was pregnant with ds very bad and there was nothing they done then.

Hi there

Sympathy all round. I have the same problem sweetkitty. I was just about to post the same question. I have been looking through some old threads on the subject on mumset. Some usefull info there. Go to serch on the home page and type in Sciatica.

I had it with 1st dd but much later on in the pg. It has arrived at only 18weeks and I'm not big at all yet. Perhaps it's not sciatica but pretty sure. What is SPD stand for? Oestopathapy seems to be the key but can you get rid of it through excersie?

Good luck, keep posting any info on the subject. I can't go through the next 5 months with this!

Have any of you tried TENS? I used the maternity Tens for both my labours, and found it very helpful. I also have an 'ordinary' Tens that I got for my back pain before I had babies. The Tens won't cure the problem, but it may go a long way towards easing it. With back problems you get a lot of muscle tension and inflamation as a result of the chronic pain, so pain relief is important to try and prevent the condition worsening. Normally you could take an NSAID like Nurofen to deal with it, but obviously you can't do that if you're pg - the only real alternative pain relief is Tens. IIRC it costs about £35 to hire a labour Tens, and about £80 to buy one. It would be a worthwhile investment, as you have so much of your pregnancies left to run.

You really need to see a chiropractor and also get an appoinment with your hospital physio. I had terrible sacro-iliac pain earlier in my pg but I ignored it and in the end I couldn't walk for 7 weeks. It got me very depressed. If you go to your gp they should refer you to the hospital physio for an urgent appointment (I got mine in a week) and you can be properly diagnosed and also given a maternity belt. It's hardly an attractive item of clothing but it really does the trick. I also saw a chiro (and still do) and she worked miracles with gentle manipulation and my core stability and sorted me out brilliantly. I have kept the pain at bay for a couple of months now and feel like a different person. Please please get it seen to. Don't be fobbed off by your midwife - mine dismissed it as "just back pain". If I hadn't had it seen to properly I would be house bound for the whole pg.

The acupressure/acupuncture point in the centre of the back of your knees is very good for lower back pain. Bit difficult to get to on your own but try lying down and relaxing on your side and getting DP/DH to gently massage with his thumb (both legs). There's another in the centre of each buttock (middle of an imaginary line between tailbone and hip bone) which is good for sciatic pain. Hope this helps

Hi, my sacro illiac went at 38 wks, tho had expected it to earlier as I'm double jointed, so was lucky and grateful to get so far. Babe is now 9 wks and pain getting better but at the end of an ordinary day0 just housework etc- it's killing. Quite sad not to be able to take babe for a walk...
The best relief I find is sleeping witha deep pillow between my legs (lie on side that is the good one) or even better cuddle in to hubby and put bad leg over him! Not very dignified but the relief almost makes me smile! Good luck!