PGP/SDP at 16weeks, pain management?

[Daphne33]

Anyone else? It's my first pregnancy and am annoyed this has hit me so early, especially since I like being active and generally feeling quite energetic.

How have you been managing the pain? (without medication)
I dread getting up from any position really cos I would be stuck in the standing position for awhile due to the shots of pain on my left groin. Hopefully will see the referred physio soon.

A wedge cushion apparently helps alot with keeping your knees lower than your hips. Does anyone have a wedge cushion to recommend?
I've tried with a pillow at home but am thinking of getting a proper one for sitting at work, etc.

I know it's the last thing you probably want to hear but regular movement helps. I was in a lot of pain at the start and end of my pregnancy and I found that moving around helps and doesn't let the muscles etc get 'stuck' in one position for two long. Also very gentle stretches too. Good luck!

Go see an osteopath and stay active (yoga, walking, swimming and stretching, osteopath can recommend stretches). I had it terribly with my first, could barely walk at 30 weeks, but 2 osteopath appts and regular gentle exercise and it was completely gone by 34 weeks. I was at the gym working out again 12 hours before labour started. This is my 2nd pregnancy and I did everything that helped last time from the start - regular exercise, yoga classes, stretches, osteopath appts (3 this time), and I never got any. I did feel it coming on at one point, but I was really proactive about it. I'm now 39 weeks and feel great. Very little pain this time at all, even in my hips. I wouldn't rely on a physio (me personally, I wouldn't even waste my time with a physio). They tend to try to give you coping skills to deal with the pain, crutches, support belts, etc. without fixing the underlying misalignment that's causing it.

Oh, I do have regular movement but inevitably, I do have to sit sometimes and getting up is agonising.
Did you do any sort of specific exercises?

I try to do antenatal yoga and swimming but neither have alleviated the condition, if at all, although I'm going to keep at them cos' my lifestyle always included some form of exercise before.

At work, I would get an exercise ball. It will help you keep your hips and pelvis much more mobile and encourages optimal positioning for baby too. I've pretty much only sat on one since about 26 weeks. I don't even sit on normal chairs or the sofa at home in the evenings.

Support band, crutches and an osteopath is how I got through it. And your gp might give you codeine for when it's really bad.

Remember knees together when getting out of bed and in or out of the car. Silly things like don't stand on one leg and don't use your legs to push stuff out of the way on the floor (like boxes).

Don't stay in one position for too long, keep moving but don't over do it. It's a nightmare! I'm also 16 wks and mine has flared again. Definitely my last pregnancy this time!

Get one of those gigantic U shaped pregnancy pillows for sleeping at night. Seriously I'm right at the end of my fourth pregnancy and my SPD has been much more manageable this time. I do have crutches that the physio gave me but I've tried really hard not to use them and keep moving as much as poss (although now at 38 weeks I am fairly static when I'm not sorting kids out!).

I did make an appointment to see a private osteopath tomorrow.
I'm not familiar - would they be available through NHS referrals as well though or just physiotherapists through NHS? Seeing my midwife on Thursday for that.

Thanks for the exercise ball idea, may get one for home but think it would attract too much unnecessary attention in office (plus i'm new).
Am about to go off to Mothercare to have a look at possible wedge cushions though cos I felt the folded pillow helped quite a bit.

Private osteopath or chiropractor, I’m afraid. NHS physio is very unlikely to do anything for you even if you are able to see them quickly (the waiting list here is months long in order to be given a fact sheet and a support belt ).

Check out eBay and amazon before spending fortune at mother care. You can get round inflatable cushions that do the same as a gym ball which is less conspicuous at work. And you can carry around easily.

Do you mind me asking what it feels like? I'm 17.5 weeks, and for the last few days have been having sharp pains in either groin, usually when I stand but I've also been woken by them in the night. They're sharp enough that I sometimes have to stand for a moment or two and catch my breath before I can move. I assumed this was round ligament pain, but maybe not?