Lower back pain and SPD/PGP - can I swim? Lack of exercise driving me mad

[kjh5]

Looking for advice from anyone who has suffered from lower back pain and SPD/PGP and any exercise that might help or not aggravate the problem. I've been suffering from bad back/hip pain since 17/18 weeks and milder SPD which seems to be getting worse over the past week. I'm now 26 weeks. Some days I'm ok and can walk slowly around the place without too many problems, others I can't walk more than a few metres and have to stay at home. I've seen a physio and been given stretches to do which seem to help the back pain and just got a support belt which I'm hoping will improve both my back and SPD.

However, being stuck at home unable to go out much is driving me insane. Pre-pregnancy I used to exercise 3/4 times a week which I really enjoyed and it helped me control my weight. I'm by no means a small, skinny person (size12/14) but in the past month I have piled on a lot of weight and I am really miserable. I really want to do something to get a bit of exercise in and leave the house. There is a leisure centre just down the road and I wondered if swimming or really mild aqua aerobics might be achievable in my condition. The last thing I want to do is make it worse. Does anyone have any help/advice? Physio has been next to useless whenever I ask about this.

Swimming is good but don't do breast stroke legs - I was advised that if I want to swim then the best thing is to get one of those training floats shaped like an 8 to put between my knees so I keep my legs together as separating them will aggravate the SPD. I've found prenatal Pilates helps the back pain too, but I can only do it once or twice a week otherwise it starts to hurt my hips.

Pregnancy pilates would do the trick i'd imagine- a physio led course (put your physio experience out of your head- or find a new physio!)

I'm doing both pre natal pilates and yoga (once a week each) and find them both excellent. They are also helping me sleep too which is an added bonus.

like the PP said, swimming is fine as long as you minimise the amount your legs move.

aquarobics can be fine but only if the instructor knows how to adapt for prenatal and especially for SPD. if they don't, please avoid, you can easily aggravate the SPD in the water because the weight is taken off and you may not realise how wide a range of movement you are doing. my community midwives ran an aqua natal class, maybe ask them if there's something like that in your area, or ring round local leisure centres. it wasn't intensive exercise, but it was exercise, and one woman even made it on her crutches (very bad SPD) and found it helpful

I personally found all swimming made my SPD worse. Rest and taking it easy were the only things that helped all exercise hurt.

No real advice, only sympathy - I'm 29 weeks and in the same boat. This is DC4 and it happens every pregnancy from the end of the first trimester and it makes me really depressed. Like you I'm normally a very active person indeed and to be almost housebound just destroys my mental health. I have a newfound respect for those with long term mobility issues, I have no idea how they cope.

I find that some days are better than others in terms of pain, and a lot depends on how much I did the day before. If I've been resting up lots I feel not too bad in the mornings. However if I have sat around all day then it's bad too - it's about somehow finding a balance.

I'm thinking about trying swimming this time round too but the problem is that I've now got too unfit for crawl and I don't like it anyway and much prefer breaststroke. So I don't know really.

Prenatal pilates sounds interesting but the thought of getting down onto the floor fills me with horror - I have no idea what the reality is of it though!

Thanks so much for all your advice and personal experiences - I decided to give it a go, ordered a swimsuit and paid for pool membership from the comfort of the sofa and then - as I was struggling into work this afternoon - thought, what the bloody hell am I doing?! I can barely walk today! Anyway I think I'll give it a go - I had a 'good' day yesterday, so when the next one of those comes around I might pop down and see what I can do.

Crispy I figure crawl is a bit too strenuous for me in my current condition but I figured I could breaststroke my arms and drag my legs along behind me! I am also considering pre-natal Pilates. I've emailed a studio near me to enquire about the reality of doing this with SPD so will see what they come back with. Will let you know!

Ugh, wrote out a whole reply and MN went down and I lost it!

Anyway, I may give the breaststroke with gentle kicks (crawl-style) a try too. I probably will end up being one of those people who stops at the end of every length though which will make a change! I go swimming with DS (2.5) once a week but it's not so much swimming as getting myself splashed in the face by a horde of excited toddlers while trying to hold him at arm's length! I can feel that the water does relieve the pain though, albeit only whilst I'm in the water!

Yes, definitely let me know what they say about SPD and the Pilates!