Drs appointment for SPD

[SmallBee]

I'm fairly sure I have SPD or pelvic girdle pain so I've made an appointment with the GP later today to try and get some help with managing it.
My experience with GPs has been that they have a mixed knowledge of pregnancy issues and you can't rely on meeting one who knows their stuff.

Is there anyone who can give me some advice on what to ask or mention to make sure I get good care?

Hi small

I had pgd in my first pregnancy- saw an elderly GP who totally dismissed it and said I was probably "doing a bit much" ( had a busy FT hospital doctor job) and suggested I took earlier mat leave!

Saw my midwife next and she referred me straight to Physio. I guess this might vary from area to area but ours can refer directly.

Do persist with trying to get help- once I saw Physio she did some small manipulations which made a HUGE difference. I limped in to the appointment and walked out without pain.

I'm pg again now and will definitely seek help early if this recurs.

Good luck!

I wouldn't bother with the gp to be honest, all they can do is refer you for physio, and your midwife can do that. Or, in our area you can self refer online so have a look on your local nhs trust website. Although I found physio pretty useless, they just told me to do all the things i was already doing having googled, and suggested a type of support band I could get if i wanted.

I have to refer online for physio - on your maternity notes, there may be a list of contacts (mine has, but I've not seen what other NHS trusts give out) which can put you in touch with the correct people.

My GP was pretty uneducated about the process when I saw her so I'm guessing it's something that is sought via maternity services.

Thanks very much for the advice so far.
I did speak to the midwife but she's asked me to go via my gp because she thinks I'll get a quicker referral that way. I'm just not confident the GP will have any idea!

Hope you don't mind me joining in but I also have a pretty bad case and find it difficult to sit down all day. My midwife has referred me to a physio but in the meantime I have started sleeping with a pregnancy support pillow (part of which between my legs) and it has made a big difference. I also walk slower and try to keep knees together when rolling over, getting up etc. Best of luck!

I'm 30 weeks with my second pregnancy and was signed off with spd 4 weeks ago. Definitely ask for a Physio referral, the sooner you can get it the more effective it can be. I didn't start it until 24 weeks and can barely move now, but it does give me a few pain free hours a week which is heavenly.

If you can afford to pay, I really recommend an osteopath. I had SPD with my second pregnancy and my osteopath was a miracle worker. I also saw him once after the birth and that was very helpful too.