SPD - osteopath or physio?

[CityDweller]

I've developed spd over last couple weeks - v painful in hip/butt when walking and doing anything weight bearing. Saw osteopath yesterday, but it doesn't seem much better. She told me to come back for another apt next week but I'm wondering if I'm better off seeing a physio instead?

Anyone have success with either a physio or osteopath and, if so, how many appointments did it take?

I saw an osteopath and she was amazing, 3-4 sessions and I was better.
A week sounds like a long time between appointments.

Tbh I don't rate physios against osteopaths

I saw a physio and osteopath. I found the osteopath far better than the physio. I only managed a couple of sessions as discovered her very late in the day- I only wish I had gone to her instead of the physio in the first place.

I saw an osteopath after the birth of my second child. Both during the pregnancy and after the birth, I has chronic PGP. I had three sessions with the osteo and it was fixed, I've gone on to have two more pregnancy's and although I still have an unstable pelvis, the pain has been significantly better.

In my experience, there are very few physios with experience of treating SPD. The one that treated me worked privately (in Cardiff - pm me if you're local), she really was excellent.

In cardiff too, wonder if its the same osteo?

I saw a physio - 3 sessions and I was totally functional again (had the same problem as you OP - hip and bum pain!) That said, she was a physio specialising in obstetric problems so I don't know if a more standard physio would have been as good. I am London-based, PM me if you'd like the details.

Try Pelvic Partnership for recommendations in your area. I saw one osteopath who made things worse, an NHS physio who wasn't much use at all & then a life-changing osteo who specialises in PGP/SPD. (Quentin Shaw if you are near Tunbridge Wells). I feel so angry that we can only get physio (does it work for anyone?) on the NHS.

either is fine I am sure but I had incredible help from a highly reconmended osteopath.
I basically couldn't walk more than and about 5-10 meters without having to sit down and was around 6/7 months pregnant by the time I started my treatment. I had to go every week unfortunetly becuase I started a bit too late, but it really helped and I could get around but would be really feeling it again towards the next appointment time. If I had gone earlier they would have been able to help me a bit more I'm told.

The problem with NHS physio is that they don't really do much hands on manipulation stuff, they just assess and give you excersies.. private is probably very different.

The NHS physio - who is a specialist in obstetric physiotherapy - I saw was great. She did the hands on manipulation thing pushing the pelvic bones back into alignment, and it's been a lot better since then. But if your physio doesn't do that at all, then by all means try an osteopath. If you can get a local recommendation then start with that.

I am 32+5 with chronic SPD - on crutches, lots of pain and have been prescribed Co-Codamol which I hate. Physio although very nice has done nothing in two visits - first one assessed me, gave me a belt and showed me how to support my core.

The second visit was to issue me with tubigrip as band is now too tight and give me crutches.

My next port of call [after DS is born in Jan] is to go to the Osteo - unfortunately that's not an option at the moment as I can't drive/walk very far at all.

I use a chiropractor, which has been great. I have private healthcare through work, so I get 10 sessions through that, and I need them. Much better than I was, but there's no way I could have afforded to go private (£32 a session!). All I'm paying is the £100 excess.

I don't think a physio would be able to give me as much relief as the chiro - he manipulates everything back where it should be and massages my sacrum, which is looooovely

Ok... Think I'll give osteo one more go and if no joy try a specialist physio. I'm paying myself, so want to avoid too many appointments as it's effing expensive... I'll see if I can get NHS referral at my next mw apt, but that's not for a couple of weeks and I expect referral would take ages anyway...