Can SPD affect your lower back?

[exBrightonBell]

I am almost 19 weeks, and have started getting sharp lower back pain towards the end of the day, when getting up or shifting position. I am also getting dull pains in my groin on either side iyswim, like I've stretched my legs too far or gone on a long run. Could this be SPD? I would appreciate some info from those that have suffered it :-)

Yes - it's referred to as pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and it's very painful. I developed it a couple of months ago and I really sympathise. However, mine has pretty much gone (unless I push myself too much during the day) and I think it was as a result of a combination of:

1. Going to the doctors as early as possible, telling them what I thought it was and getting a referral to a physio, who gave me some good exercises to do each day. This was great advice from the Pelvic Partnership website.
2. Pregnancy pilates.
3. Swimming.
4. Exercising on a gym ball.
5. Making sure that I moved in a way that didn't exacerbate the problem.

Have a look at the Pelvic Partnership website at www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk/ for symptoms and advice.

Hope this helps.

yes it can cause backpain and as wordweaver says, early intervention can make a massive difference

you need to go to your GP with this though, not your MW

Thanks Wordweaver, I didn't know whether it could be or not, but I guess i should get checked out. Fortunately I have a gp appointment tomorrow about something else so I can ask then. Thanks for the website suggestion as well.

What a rubbish GP, PocPoc!

For me, forewarned was fore-armed. On that website it does say that GPs are often not as clued up as they should be about PGP, and may suggest that it's sciatica. However, I felt I went in well armed with information and basically insisted on being given a referral. The GP did say that I should talk to my midwife too, as she might be able to speed up the referral process. In the end the referral came through very quickly.

oooo PocPoc -I had the exact opposite

midwife was all 'well things will feel different, you can get aches and pains but women have been doing this for thousands of years' I was crying by this point

GP had me at physio the next week!

In my area pregnant women can self-refer to the physiotherapist. I saw one in my first pregnancy as I had just the same pain as you OP - I was given a support belt which helped hugely, as well as advice re exercises etc.

When it came to the birth, I found that water was fantastic for pain relief as it took the weight off my joints.

Well...GP was completely useless. Just said it was general pregnancy related pain and that I could try taking paracetamol. I asked what I should do for the remaining half of my pregnancy and she just basically shrugged her shoulders and spouted the stuff about "it's normal".

How frustrating. Have you checked out the symptoms on the website - do you think it fits in? If so, I would suggest going to see a different GP and saying that you are pretty sure you have PGP and would like a referral to a physio. Also, as PocPoc said, speak to your MW and see if she can get you a referral.

I'd also recommend that you look into doing yoga or pilates classes if there are any pregnancy ones nearby. It really helped me. Classes are not normally my kind of thing but at the moment I'm doing anything that I think will help!