Teaching with SPD

[NameChangingForThisJustInCase]

• I just don't think I can do it! Has anyone managed it?

It has come on very suddenly. Today walking was agony... I can't walk around the classroom looking at pupils work, bending down to help them, or turning to write on the board.

I have a physio appointment booked for later in the week, but what do I do in the meantime? Stay off work?

I'm only in my 5th month so it's very early...

I did it. Had ID twins 4 yrs ago and suffered with SPD. I took time off for physio appts, wore one of those attractive elastic brace things and sat down as much as possible. It was neither easy nor fun, but I managed. Just managed to avoid needing crutches.

You have my sympathies.

OK well if someone else could do it I should be able to. I guess I'm back in work tomorrow then!

How do I get a brace thing? No-one has mentioned one of those. Did it help?

(I have borrowed some crutches...)

I don't know to be honest i have it and its agony, but I can highly recommend seeing an osteopath its helped me loads. xx

Like all things there is a huge spectrum for SPD so I wouldn't measure yourself against anyone else. If you can bear it, good luck, if it's too painful then get signed off and don't feel guilty.

Hope the physio can help.

I've left a message with a chiropracter so hoping to be seen tomorrow with an emergency appointment.
I just can't believe it has come on so badly so quickly!

I'm teaching with SPD at the moment, although I agree, it affects everyone so differently you can't really judge yourself against someone else. I find the big elastic brace helps loads, ask your physio for one, although the standard NHS ones are a bit rigid. Someone gave me a softer one wihich is far better.

Suffer on and off with SPD atm and suffering with back pain too which has me working in pain most days and some days the pain is that bad that I'm using a crutch just to get around.

My only advice would be to keep moving to a minimum no matter how inconvenient that is for your pupils. I do more PowerPoint lessons so I can sit at my desk and make the kids come to me if they need help. On a really bad day I can then manage to sit for a good 90% of the day and walk with my crutch everywhere else. It is not ideal but I cannot afford to start my ML early so I will just have to suffer through like it or not and manage the best I can. Granted as a secondary school maths teacher this is probably easier for me than it is for teachers who either teach in primary or teach in more practical subjects.

Thanks for the replies. I'm a secondary science teacher - I'm certainly cancelling practicals for tht time being - in an emergency/accident I would not be able to rush round to deal!

OK so get a brace, and powerpoint lessons... I can do that, and I'll use the crutches to move when I have a classroom change as I don't always teach in the same room

Do people find they have good days and bad days? Hoping today was just a bad day!

I am also a teacher and went to the doctor, as work was becoming intolerable. Doctor advised taking parecetemol all the time not just when pain comes on. This actually worked for me even though I was very sceptical.

For me I do find I have good and bad days. A good day is like today - minor pain when walking or moving. A bad day can be pain that bad I'm on paracetamol and taking 5 minutes to get to the staffroom on my crutch. Remember, small steps are less painful and your class will just have to wait!

Sleeping on my pregnancy pillow also seems to limit my bad days. Although I often find it less comfortable to sleep with I wake up in less pain as it stops my night-time movements and keeps my pelvis correctly aligned while asleep. A bad day usually follows a bad day though if I don't relax for the full evening when I get home. I hope you are doing!!

I'd speak to your line manager though since your Risk Assessment should cover this and for health and safety you really should be trying to keep the same classroom as often as possible. I'm sure your work colleagues wouldn't mind helping you out on this one. Mine are being fab and have even offered to go and do my photocopying when I was having a bad day.

Namechange- You poor thing you have my sympathies. I am a secondary science teacher and had SPD with my first, it only came on at 7 months though so did not have so long to go. Had good days and bad days though and it miraculously got better before my physio appt and then came back 2 weeks before the birth.
I never moved rooms, my colleagues were really great about this and I used to find that walking around the room really helped. My desks are quite high so I didn't have to bend down too much and I avoided carrying piles of books, marked everything at work. I could not write on the board so used powerpoint as has been suggested.

When are you starting maternity leave? If it gets bad just bear in mind you may not last till 2-3 weeks before and may end up finishing earlier than expected.

On a positive note I did not have it AT ALL with my second

I hadn't thought about maternity leave as I haven't even had the anomoly scan yet! I can't believe I will have 20 weeks of this....

I could cry. Just when I was able to get back to exercising without throwing up....

Thanks for all the advice though. I really didn't know whether to stay off work and rest it, or go in and keep busy.

You have my sympathies. Not teacher but job involves lots of standing - which I have always found worse than moving for triggering SPD pain. Now in fifth month with my third - worse each time!

Corset thing marvellous - they may only offer you gigantic tubigrip at the physio but you can buy the corset for more support and I definitely think it's worth it (and I do not work for an SPD girdle manufacturer)

Definitely good days and bad days. Regular paracetamol helps. Sitting on an exercise ball is bliss - any chance of hiding one somewhere at work?? Possibly not. Try and sit on one at home in front of telly - I found slouching on sofa made things worse..... Warm bath every evening. Sleeping with a pillow between knees. Getting out of a car with legs together. (put plastic bag on seat to make it easier, also helpful to safeguard upholstery in later stages)

Core stability - very helpful. Do lots of pelvis floor exercises, and remember to pull everything in whenever you stand up from sitting. Bending down is very tricky - I had to stop doing it and sit on patients beds to chat to them instead (now forbidden because of MRSA) - can you get pupils to bring work to you? Or wheel a stool around to perch on?Every now and then stand up straight against a wall for a few seconds as it aligns everything. (Looks odd at work but who cares?) And take every opportunity when not at work to be horizontal!

Good luck

I did think that exrecising gently did help, I felt worse if I had had a day 'resting' and doing nothing. Long car journeys used to bring it on too. It is obviously different for everybody though, best to speak to your physio.

Good luck, and if you feel bad this week then take it off. You know yourself if it is going to be to hard.