PGP and/or SPD??!

[flymo79]

Hi, can we talk pelvic pain please? Just in the past two days I've started to get bad ache/pain in my pubic bone, initially felt like I'd strained my groin (which I thought I might have done in the garden, stepping over a low fence) but now googling around realise it might be the dreaded SPD or PGP. I've read enough to know that you need to basically focus on keeping your legs together, but this (for someone who's quite flexible) just seems to be more painful! I also read that the support belts should only be worn whilst walking about/mobile, and a lot of my job is sitting down. Any suggestions? Anyone got any tips? Can I use a hot water bottle to try to soothe (obviously when I get home!)??

oh, and does it help to sit on an exercise ball, or is that just loosening everything up even more??

Get yourself to your GP to get a referral to a physio and don't bother buying any support belts until you've seen one as some of them provide support in the wrong place!

In the meantime try to keep your legs together as you've said as in:

sit down putting pants/trousers on so you don't stand on one leg
keep knees together turning over in bed/getting in and out of car
don't push shopping trolleys or do anything that requires twisting
don't do anything that requires bending over like vacuuming or cleaning the bath
when going upstairs lead with good leg if you have one and bad one coming down
and don't step over anything you don't need to!

I have the same pain as you in my pubic bone and in between my legs on one side which feels like groin strain. Its worse for me when I go to bed at night. I take paracetomal and codeine (prescribed by GP), put pillow and hot water bottle between my legs at night and use a support and crutches during the day.

I'm not sure about the exercise ball as I'm ok when sat down (until I try to get up!)

The physio will also give you advice on labour positions and how not to make it worse!

Hope this helps :)

Thanks! Have heard mixed reports about physio but am open minded about it

One very practical thing that helped me was slippery silky pajama bottoms which made turning over in bed less painful.

It should be a physio that specialises in antenatal flymo and the other thing I've just remembered is that you need to make sure its in your birth plan/maternity notes so if you need any intervention or they need to move your legs for you for any reason they know to do it slowly, carefully and together to prevent causing ligament damage.

Someone else recommended silky PJs to me but I haven't been able to wear PJ bottoms for months!

Silky sheet underneath then but expensive & hot

Physio first, to put back everything that's now 'out' (because that is what causes most of the pain). A good physio will give you exercises to do also (mine showed me how to put my pelvis back in alignment myself). Then a proper belt. I wear mine standing and sitting, as it's designed to be worn all the time when you're awake. It's a Serola belt and gives enough for you to still have good circulation, while stopping the extra movement of the pelvic area. I bought a book of exercises too in case I forgot anything the physio said, so I can refer to it if needed! I do the exercises 2x a day, and if anything hurts. Before physio/belt, I could barely walk. Now, I can walk for 2hrs+ without pain.

If you drive put a carrier bag on the seat so you can swivel out of the car instead of putting one leg out first.
Physio helps me loads key is not overdo it on good days, get you GP to refer you good luck

ooh, thanks for the advice, I definitely need to see a physio then, I can feel/hear my s-i joint clicking in and out when I roll over in the night... had a bit of a blub yesterday at the thought of another ten weeks of this! feeling a bit better today though