SPD or PGP?

[PipIsOutNow]

I'm 22 weeks and it feels as if the baby is going to burst through and snap my pubic bone. I am so uncomfortable. Even lifting my legs up when changing pedals to drive is uncomfortable. Also have lower back discomfort. What is this? And is there anything I can do to manage it? I'm only carrying small at the mo so dread how bad it's going to be in a few weeks/months.

Yep that's spd. Fun isn't it. Pgp is similar but in a different location, at the base of your spine where the pelvis joins the spinal cord, and sometimes around the hip joint too. I had both with dd due to hypermobility, my ligaments were like saggy elastic bands to start with let alone once I got the old pregnancy hormones working on them. Good news is it gets better usually once the baby is born. Bad news is its unlikely to get better until the baby is born. Physio and a support belt may help, speak to your midwife at your next appt or go to a drop in if it's a long way off.

You poor thing!

I agree with roger about the the physio and the support belt. I'd also definitely get to your GP, to be honest. I had mild symptoms at around 22 weeks, when I had not even heard of SPD, and my midwife was quite dismissive and said it was just general ligament pain. It was only after having some really severe problems at work a couple of weeks later that I went to my GP, who immediately signed me off work. I'm now at 29 weeks, have very restricted movement and a lot of pain.

I really don't want to be all doom and gloom about it, because everyone is different and you might be absolutely fine in a couple of weeks, but I'd at least mention it to your doctor, as I think it's one of those things which is best sorted out sooner rather than later.

Good luck! :)

I'm 30 weeks Pip & have been suffering SPD since around 16 weeks.

Are you seeing a specialist maternity physio? If not, ask your midwife to make a referral.

Good luck, you're not alone.

Thanks guys. I've booked in with gp for next week so hopefully I'll get a referral then. This is no fun at all! Just something else to add to my list of ailments!!!

Poor you. Yours sounds worse than mine and I'm almost 38 weeks.

Your midwife can refer you to physio also. They will give you exercises and mine gave me a huge tubigrip to wear over my bump for support. He recommended rocking on a gym/birthing ball too.

Just a word of caution re belt as I know you can buy them off the shelf. I had a big tubigrip thing with DS and went to physio this time with PGP. They wanted to know the position of my placenta from the 20 week scan and I wasn't suitable for a belt due to a low lying placenta. So unless you know yours isn't low, don't risk it!

So sympathise, I had with all 3 pgs, earlier and worse each time, on crutches last time.

Unfortunately as others have said nothing will make it go away except giving birth ( which weirdly doesn't seem to hurt anymore due to the spd, in fact early labour was quite "nice" for me as the spd pain went away for first time in months )

You can do things to ease it which in my experience are:

Support belt - helps a fair bit
Physio - helps but not huge amount
Cranial osteopathy - helps a lot, but effects are short lived, few days then you need another appt and this is pricey
Memory foam mattress or topper - my other top tip, really helped ease it at night

what really helps if course is anti inflammatories which of course you are not supposed to take in pregnancy as not been tested. Check with doctor if there is anything that you can take if gets really bad. I used voltarol gel locally on my si joints in desperation a few times last pg and it really helped ( and gallons of it first few days after birth ). Not medically recommended though,

As others have said, it usually improves v quickly after the birth.

Slippy silky pyjamas make it easier to turn in bed, sit on a plastic bag to make it easier to get in and out of the car. Keep your legs together!

Thanks for all the tips. I'm really worried I won't be able to move in a few weeks as I was in so much pain yesterday. I'm definitely not the sort of person that blooms in pregnancy!

ha ha good tip about the pjs! wish i'd thought of that!

Also - if you need to get your pants on but cant bend down - kick them up a few stairs then pick them up - applies to any small object need to pick up actually.

in subsequent pgs, use small child for this task.

Brace yourself for, when you say you can't open your legs, EVERYONE saying if you hadn't opened them you wouldn't be in this mess... Ho ho ho

Actually, on that note, be careful with sex. Having your legs apart and being repeatedly pressured on the pelvic area is not a good idea. You can still do sex, but just do it carefully.

Pelvic floor exercises can help. Also, whenever moving from sitting to standing or shifting weight on to one leg, such as getting dressed, tighten your stomach muscles.

Oh dear god, yes, be careful with sex! This'll be TMI, but I really can't explain otherwise - last pregnancy I was suffering with PGP, and thought I was being v clever by having sex doggy-style, until on one thrust my pelvis went pop and locked. I managed to extricate myself and lie down, but the pain was excrutiating and I couldn't move. Cue a very embarrassing call to my physio the next morning who actually had to come to my house and readjust my pelvis to pop it back in.

FWIW, where I am you self-refer to physio, just call the doc surgery or MW to get the number and call up. Make sure you say you're pregnant (will get you seen quickly), and ask to see a maternity physio/women's physio. The first physio I saw admitted that she had no idea what to do, and because she lacked the experience didn't want to mess around as I was pregnant. She referred me on to my lovely women's physio, who is certainly not afraid of grabbing a leg and hoiking it about to push my pelvis back together the right way.

Yy to careful sex. Spoons is good, you can keep your legs shut lol.

I started getting symptoms at 22 weeks and went to my GP where he examined me and confirmed what was going on. The only pain relief you should be taking is paracetamol and start it NOW. My pain was so much better after I started that. I take at least 4 per day - with breakfast and before bed so that sleeping and the start if the day are fairly painless. I take more if I feel it getting sore. Paracetamol is a drug that needs to build up in your system to get the real benefits so it's best to take it regularly for it to be truly effective. I also have a support belt which is really good. I haven't had it on today and I'm feeling it more... My midwife felt that the tubigrip was a waste of time and makes you feel very sweaty! She also felt there was limited benefits in physio and both she and my GP didn't think it would help me. Also, I find hard chairs make it worse for me so I try to sit on a soft chair or have cushion on harder chairs to ease it.

If you can, try and sit down more, drive where possible rather than walking and keep your legs together when getting in/out of the car. Don't take big strides when walking, small steps are the way to go! Don't get up from a seat on the diagonal - always stand up straight then move off. Don't push heavy shopping trolleys or lift heavy items. When sleeping, put a pillow between your legs and another one under your hip/bump to take some of the weight. A combination of everything above has meant I am in A LOT less pain now at 25 weeks. I was crying in pain at 22 weeks trying to get from the sofa to my bed - I live in a small 2 bed flat so we're talking about a distance of a few metres...

Hope some of that helps!!!

Hello,

I was going to post this as a separate thread but thought it suitable for this one.

I'm 30 weeks and since about week 14 started having the symptoms of SPD, like Skellig, my midwife just put it down to round ligament pain until about week 26 when I spent 5 minutes hobbling to her office and couldn't even lift my legs up to get onto the bed thing!. The pain had progressively become worse and I was in total agony most of the time and could barely move. I have my physio appt next week (yes, it took this long) but I have also been doing the following and I really do feel like it is not so bad and I am managing/fighting it. So, additional (to what has already been said) tips are:

• pregnancy yoga: my teacher has SPD training and gives me special exercises in class and has also given me a sheet of exercises to do every day (which I diligently do!) - have a look at Birthlight. All the exercises are about strengthening the thigh and pelvic area. I can try and upload the exercise sheet if anyone is interested.
• stop walking as much as humanly possible
• I tried a support belt but it dug into my tummy so I now tie a scarf around the bottom of my bump when I'm moving around which seems to help
• warm baths every night
• Bowen technique therapy: see [www.bowen-technique.co.uk]
• swimming: this has been great. I use a long float underneath my armpits and I swim using only my arms and hold my legs together. One of the yoga exercises is about clenching the thighs so I sometimes do this whilst holding my legs up too
• pelvic floor exercises are supposed to help too

Hmm think that's it. Good luck, it's so so horrid so I really feel for you

I think I have pgp also. About the sex thing....I started a thread about pain after sex, but there were very few replies, perhaps the pain was because of pgp? The pains after sex were in my lower back, hips, bum cheeks and shooting pains down my thighs. We spooned (it seemed the easiest position at 31 weeks) but I still had all this pain afterwards. The pain lasted a few hours.... enough to make me wonder whether I should be giving up on sex now!