Anyone else got a sore pelvis??

[Writerwannabe83]

Hello everyone, I'm 23+1 and feeling miserable and achey.

About a week ago I started getting pains/ twinges in one of my buttocks and each day it has gradually got worse to the point where I now have constant discomfort in my lower back. Every time I take a step I get sharp twinges through my lower back, pelvis and bottom and it can feel very sore just to be mobile. I'm taking paracetamol which does help but it is getting a bit annoying now.

Is this just the start - am I destined to have backache for the remainder of the pregnancy??

Sounds like spd - see your doc to get referred for physio, or see an osteopath if you have the funds. I had this at c20 weeks osteopath cleared it up, now at 34 wks its back and rest seems the best remedy.

I am having a similar problem, I am 25 weeks and I have pelvic pain and inner thigh pain pretty much every time I am moving, I sympathise!

33 weeks and pretty much in constant agony . I'm "managing" but three more weeks of work fills me with dread. A few suggestions:

1. visit the maternity physio. She gave me exercises and a support belt and they DID help for a short while.
2. sleep with a pillow between your knees.
3. use heat. My left side is the worst and I've found heat patches help during the day, especially when I have to walk far/be on my feet for a long time.
4. sit on couch with legs at right angles. I have 3 pillows behind my back and one under my bum. It's infuriating when DH is lying all comfy but any other position means I can't get up or walk without pain.
5. hot water bottle on lower back/hip on couch and in bed.
6. paracetamol/cocodamol before bed. Just one but it makes a difference in allowing you to get to sleep. You'll still wake up (especially when you turn over and it fecking hurts) but it is the only way I can get "comfy"
7. chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.
8. Avoid stairs, if you can. If not, one at a time leading with your "good" side.

Hope it gets better for you!

Sounds like SPD (PGP?). Go for the referrals, etc, but also be aware the GP/hospital/physio etc may be no use whatsoever (I think my hospital is spectacularly crap at that). And the exercises they recommend may leave you in agony. Not that I'm bitter or anything...

Wikipedia it, it's a great page.

A few more suggestions:

Serola sacroiliac belt off amazon is good.

Nothing that involves twisting, your legs being apart, etc.

Sit down as much as you can - and don't walk places.
No crossed legs
Don't do any movement that hurts - it's making it worse.

Wear shoes that minimise jolting - eg crocs in the house. I'm not sure if this is standard advice, but I think it's helped me.
See your pelvis as 3 bones which are now joined by jelly - you don't want to be bending that jelly back and forward/twisting it, etc. And anything which exerts leverage on your pelvis ( your legs being at weird angles, twisting, even walking) does just that.
Whenever you can, use your arms to support you too - it reduces the force going through your pelvis.

The 'good' news is that you can have a big impact on how bad it gets - the more you move, the worse it gets. And by finding positions where you are comfortable you will be helping it :-) And it doesn't necessarily come back in a future pregnancy.

I found the SI belt has taken the edge off too. Doesn't fix it, but means I can walk around for longer. I'm the same gestation as you, btw.

Be very careful when it's particularly sore, you will probably find some days are better than others. I'd been having a bad few days recently and I "cheerfully" got out of bed a day or so ago without taking much care and managed to pull a muscle in my lower back. It was the part where it was already a bit sore from walking etc - where you describe. Only after I did that to it I could not walk. At all. Not even a little bit. I had to shuffle my feet back and forth on the carpet to move. It took 20 minutes and crying and help from DH to roll over in bed.

DH has medical insurance for us all through work and as this was a genuine pulled muscle and therefore not necessarily related to pregnancy I was able to get a quick referral to a physio same day (yesterday) She did whatever it is they do down there, told me I would feel a bit better today but not that evening. She was right, I feel lots better today but I'm banned from walking for the next two weeks and need to use a crutch

So I guess I'm saying be careful!! The consequences of not being careful are quite dire.

Oh wow, thank you everyone for such detailed responses. I had a hot water bottle against the base of my spine throughout the night and it does seem to have helped. I will try all your suggestions!!! I'm seeing my
Midwife on Tuesday so will discuss it further with her

Few more suggestions if it is SPD (PGP) :

Pretend you are wearing a short skirt, ie keep your thighs as close together as possible at all times! Eg when you are getting into the car swing both legs in at the same time. A plastic bag on the seat makes this easier.
Don't cycle.
Don't do breast stroke swimming legs.
Don't carry more weight on one side - balance shopping across both hands (or get someone else to carry it), don't wear a shoulder bag, (a backpack is better, on both shoulders).
Don't lift and twist at the same time - shopping can be a bugger for this - be so so careful lifting from trolley to car boot, again get someone else to do it!
If carrying a child try to carry them centrally, not on one hip.
Don't push open doors with one foot!
I found a memory foam mattress topper helped mine lots (and a small pillow or bit of duvet between my knees when sleeping).
Often you'll only feel the effects of overdoing it on the next day so it can be hard to correlate cause and effect. The more you irritate it the worse it gets so really try not to overdo it.
And a good physio is awesome.

I'm on my 3rd pregnancy and have had pgp/spd both times the difference this time is I've found a chiropractor and what a difference!

Physio did NOTHING for me but after one session with my chiro I could walk again and sleep without pain. I go once a week now and am finding it so much easier. You will probably have to pay for it as very little do you get it on the nhs so if you can budget for it I'd recommend you give it a go.

Basically my right hip had seized as well as my pelvis being looser so the chiro manipulated them and released my hip. Amazing!

Hi all,
I am 25 weeks and have had these pains from 20 weeks, hence why I am posting at 4am!! I recently went to a maternity physio and in fairness to her, she did say that there wasn't alot that they could do and it was just taking care not to twist etc, as everyone has said above; and supporting with pillows and padding.
In addition to everyone's advice above, she did say that 20 minutes a day sitting on a exercise/birthing ball can have the same affect as physio. Apparently in studies, women in 3rd world countries are used to squatting and therefore had less pelvic pains and easier births because their muscles were strong. NOT suggesting that everyone start doing squats, as I think I would be first in line at A&E!! But she said that our equivalent would be sitting on the ball, lightly engaging the good old pelvic floor muscles and just rocking forwards and backwards for 20 minutes.
I must admit, if anything, its quite relaxing! I sit and watch Masterchef while rocking away. It doesn't have to be any dramatic movement just slow and controlled. I also find that if I lean over it whilst kneeling down, it takes massive pressure off my upper back and again is really comfy, especially at the end of the day after sitting in the office all day. Then I can rock my hips side to side gently which relieves some end of day niggles.
As well as double duvet as a mattress topper and no amount of pillows, I still find it agony to turn in bed as my pelvic bones clash together, but at least at the end of it all, I am hoping that some of my muscles will remain in tact to get back to normal!!
I hope this helps a bit in addition to everyone's advice. Good luck everyone :)

If it is too much to bare, it is better you see your doc.

The good news is that it's likely to vanish by the time you deliver. Mine eased off 2 days before baby was born and was totally gone by the time I ended up on the ward. Second the support belt and short skirt advice.

I just went to physio (37 weeks) and she was great. Midwife didn't get round to referring me when I was at your stage but wish she had, as physio said she could have done so much more. I'm in loads of pain now but she said it'd feel better by tomorrow. So I'd say get referred ASAP!

BlackholesAndRevelations - what did the physio do for you? If you don't mind me asking. My physio just told me advice about getting around and about and exercises with the ball.

My physio checked my pelvis for wonkiness, then had me push against her with my knee to realign my pelvis. Beforehand you could see the wonkiness, one hip was higher when I stood in front of a mirror. The realignment didn't last long (a couple of weeks maybe?), but she gave me exercises to improve my core strength. After a few months of them my core muscles could hold everything in place. I was unlucky in that my SPD persisted after pregnancy, and breast feeding etc, so the long term exercises were important. However, once it was gone it didn't come back in my second pregnancy

Well I mentioned it to my midwife and she wasn't overly concerned at all. She talked to me a little about my posture and gave me a book about pelvic tilts and exercises and said to give that a go. Sometimes it is worse than others, I find the sudden sharp twinges are the worst. I will keep an eye on it over the next week or so and go back if things don't improve.

Yes I may do the same. Its now 3.45am and I'm up, it was 1am yesterday!! My hips are killing :(

It does sound very like PGP and all the advice here is very good. I ended up on crutches at 28 weeks last time and at 27+4, whilst I have got symptoms again, doing all the things mentioned up thread has really helped manage the situation. Particularly avoiding lifting and pushing heavy things. I'm now finding I need to rest as much as possible but can still manage short walks of around 10mins. The only thing I have to add is that reflexology has really helped me this time, particularly easing the pain and locked muscles around the groin. My pelvis still hurts loads when turning in bed but after 2 reflexology sessions my walking has eased up and I'm not as stiff as I was. So could be worth a try good luck.