SPD sufferers -how active were you beforehand?

[DastardlyandSmuttily]

Hmm, that title sounds a bit judgey, but let me explain..

I'm only 6 weeks pregnant, and amongst the 10 million things I'm worried about is the fact I have a large, young, very bouncy dog, and pretty much NEED to avoid any kind of SPD/pelvic pain for as long as possible to keep walking/training him for when bubs appears.

So, just wondering anecdotally whether regular walking (which obviously I'm doing at the moment) can ward off problems, or if it is much less fair than that and strikes you anyway!

I'm not sure it bears too much relation - I have had it pretty bad in all 3 pregnancies and have always been active beforehand - lots of walking and jogging and also lost 3 stone last year (DC1 and 2's baby weight. Although mainly cake) so I thought I might miss out. But it's just as bad. But I would say that the exercise that IS helpful is core stability - pilates type stuff - as that really helps the pain and helps you to keep mobile. I have a gym ball and a lovely corset thing now and can just about manage - so it might be worth starting on those exercises early if you want to guard against too much pain later on. Anyway - fingers crossed you might not get it! Good luck.

I'm 23 weeks with DC 4 and suffering (again). 20 weeks ago I was walking 4km most days (school and back x2). I was not super fit - never ran anywhere - but was pretty active.

I don't think its to do with how active you are though - its to do with your ligaments and joints, and just luck of the draw really. If you do get it, you need to take it easy and NOT push past the pain, as it will only make things worse. I'm sure being fit and healthy can't hurt, so obviously do it while you can, and try not to worry as most people don't get SPD. If you do, you might need to pay a local teenager to walk your dog or something.

PS, congratulations!

Not what you want to hear, but I was pretty fit and active before pregnancy, walked everywhere, bmi smack in the middle...had severe pelvic pain onset at 8 weeks, have been limited to extremely short walks involving regular bench stops.

I had not even heard of SPD beforehand, and neither had other friends/family who had been pregnant, so it's not something that everyone gets and lots who do often get it later, so in all likelihood you'll be fine.

Second that pilates helps, and don't do anything too high impact on your joints. Get something you can throw a long distance for dog so he covers twice as much ground as you retrieving etc?

Good luck with pregnancy, and dog!

It's made not much difference to me. First pregnancy I was reasonably active and had been doing cycling/lots of walking - awful SPD. Second pregnancy not as active as I was aside from walking - awful SPD and this time found a wheelchair helped from 25 weeks. This pregnancy I ran the damned London Marathon a few months before getting pregnant as well as my regular long walks.. awful SPD. On the plus side I can deal with it mentally a lot better knowing that I was able to run a marathon after having it.

Actually, I tell a lie - it's not quite as bad this time out but that's because this time I am using an osteopath which I didn't before! Regardless it kicks in badly at around 16 weeks seriously affecting my quality of life as I can't walk more than a few hundred yards from that point and it's downhill from there, and it is uncomfortable from BFP pretty much.

The other day I really had to bite my tongue when a woman on a due date forum elsewhere at 32 weeks said "sometimes my uterus gets a bit uncomfortable if I walk really fast" and complained about that so a lot of people do just fine.

It really is luck of the draw if you get it or not, nothing you do although if you are prone to it, things can make it worse.

A small amount of exercise is good but as others have said - don't overdo it. I always feel much worse that evening and the next day! What really triggered it with DC1 was running for the train - I'd been just "uncomfortable" up until that point at around 19 weeks but after that I was useless and in a lot of pain.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!

Thanks all, you're right it's not what I wanted to hear but at least it's honest!

Am already doing pilates so shall step that up (my tutor is EXCELLENT and will be doing specialist ante-natal work with me), keep walking, maybe start swimming, and er, hope.

Guess I'm worried because I've had lower back trouble before and know how debilitating it can be, so just dreading the new improved pregnancy version!

Just be really careful walking your dog. I have two bouncy retrievers and in my first pregnancy one of them pulled me sideways abruptly one day and I physically felt my pelvis click out of line and it triggered SPD for me. This was at 20 weeks and I visited an osteopath right away and managed to keep active for the rest of my pregnancy (walked 7 miles 3 days before I gave birth and actually walked the dogs whilst in labour too).

So whilst I credit my dogs with keeping me so fit and therefore (I believe) making my labour shorter and easier, this time I have been really careful walking them and so far (30 weeks) all good.

I'm just really mindful of how I'm walking with them, where the strain is on my body and am really careful on uneven ground to take smaller steps rather than my usual pacey strides. Also when they're on the lead I make sure they're on quick release, awful as it sounds if one of them decides to go suddenly I would just let go rather than strain myself or risk the same as last time.

I was active - got a collie

As lots of others have said - pilates is the key. You can be as fit as you like but if your core muscles are knackered you've had it really.

Also, it really is worth taking a look at www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk and following now their methods for relieving pain if your had it. Seriously - I had it very badly with dc3, from 12 wks on. This time I'm nearly 23 wks and am only just beginning to get it some days as I've been religious about doing things 'right' as early as I knew I was pg.

My yoga teacher thinks its to do with how supple you are as both me and her have suffered SPD, obvioulsy her being a yoga teacher shes very supple and I am a very supple person before I was pregnant (32 weeks) I could put my leg behind my head.

I have really bad SPD, pelvis and back really hirt most of the time.

My friend also suffered but hers was due to having a second pregnancy within 3 months of having her daughter. Her ligaments had softened during the first pregnancy and hadnt restored themselves before she fell pregnant again.

Sorry to hear that greenzebra, but I'm about as supple as a plank of wood in a blizzard, so here's hoping!

Suppleness and joint hypermobility are very much linked and there's a definite correlation between hypermobility and SPD.

My consultant said last week that I was very unusual in that I'd not experienced SPD during pgs 1&2 as hypermobility is something you either have or not - it's not something which comes on with age.

But there are also lots of people who don't have JH who get SPD too!

i was pretty active before and during throughout the pregnancy. Yoga, walking, jogging, etc...am 8st and 5'3.

At the end of my second trimester I developed SPD.

Am in agony (I am carrying twins mind you and have put on about 3 stone...all bump !)

went to the physio, took up light swimming, and continued with yoga. still no difference.....

Ive been told that its in discriminate...so dont know. Guess its just lucky or unlucky.....hopefully you wont get it...x

I agree on the suppleness and hypermobility. I was (and still am - I can still put my hands flat on the floor with my legs straight at 27 weeks pregnant) very supple and my physio has said I have mild hypermobility. She said however that although they used to think that hypermobility in itself led to SPD, in fact studies now show that the increased risk is caused by is asymmetric hypermobility. So you can be very supple and not at risk as long as you're symmetrical! Not a lot you can do about that really.

I have fairly mild SPD and was very active pre and early pregnancy. Sorry.

I'm a fitness fanatic and have started with it. I am also very flexible, interesting!

Heh, I am completely non-flexible (it even hurt for me to sit cross legged as a child) yet I get SPD really badly! Perhaps I just make "loads and loads and loads" of relaxin, whereas supple people only need to make "loads" before they end up in a similar state!

Goodness help me if I was supple then..

op - swimming is good, but DON'T do breast stroke - not good for the pelvis. Walking in water also good (although walking on ground is fine if you don't actually have SPD, its quite straining if you do. )

I dont know whether the suppleness thing really has any effect - I'm not exactly a yoga bunny but I do yoga, have done pilates and (was) a regular and strong skier. I thought my ligaments would be great but have been struck badly by spd at 28 wks. The physio has given me some strengthening exercises but tbh I dont know how effective these really are - sometimes the exercises trigger a bad day, sometimes I swear they help. Sometimes I can walk for 4 miles with energy and no ill effects, sometimes after a bit of a wander to the shops I'm in agony. I agree with the comment about being symmetrical, it just seems to be luck of the draw...and bloody annoying!

I guess that's why my spd strikes mainly in my back Mainly. My pelvis is apparently very well balanced and has a good tilt but I have scoliosis esp the lower section which has led to lots of wear in my lower vertebrae leading to stiffness. My serola sacro-iliac support belt really does work wonders though, but again, wouldn't if it was your pelvis that was asymmetric.

I could put my hands flat on the floor at 41 wks with dd1

I started to get SPD at about 14 weeks. I was previously very active but not supple at all.
I have never been flexible.

I have discovered that if I wear my bump band low around my hips it helps alot

I wasn't and am not very flexible, and get spd, worse with each pregnancy (although this time 23 weeks with DC 4, its a bit better controlled so far - just from being REALLY careful about what I do, and not walking much, supporting my hips/legs/bump when I sleep etc).

Jasmine - I have a spd elastic belt that is designed for just the purpose you describe. I wear it low on my hips and it seems to keep things a bit more stable. My pelvis is very unstable, and I also have very, very poor core ab strength. My abdominal seperation was about 15cm with DC 3 :( Do others find that ab seperation goes with spd too? I guess it makes sense.

Hmm I was very active but incredibly inflexible (also never been able to cross my legs) and got shocking SPD in the last trimester.