Is this SPD/pelvic girdle pain?

[pootle09]

I'm almost 20 weeks with my second pregnancy and am starting to experience what I had in my first pregnancy - lower back pain and shooting pains up my, er, foo-foo when I walk for any length of time. Today I walked for about 20 minutes and started to experience a lot of pain and could only walk very slowly like a penguin (took me about two hours to get back to where I started!) Other than that, I don't have any real problems turning over in bed, walking upstairs etc. Not sure what it is, but would like some kind of support if possible for when I'm walking as I know from last time it can become really quite limiting.

Do you think it's SPD or worth mentioning to my midwife or asking for a physio referral?

Sounds like SPD. TBH most midwives are rubbish at supporting people with this, and most physios haven't got a clue how to sort it out. So here's a plan.

First of all, read this.

Then get some regular manipulation, especially stretching out your gluteal muscles. For this find a good osteopath/chiropractor/preferably Australian trained physio.

Also put your feet up as much as possible and get good advice on pain relief as necessary, with a regimented medicine regime to this end.

Do not suffer in silence!!

It does sound like it's pgp.

Ime, womens health physios are very good at treating these problems, though you have to be realistic about things and realise that just because you've seen a physio your pain won't instantly disappear as you've still got another 20 weeks of pregnancy left to go, with an ever inceasing load on your pelvis! There are however exercises that can help, supports that do help and ways of movng to minimise discomfort.

I would certainly ask for a referral asap.

Where do you live? I'm in South Wales and know of at least 4 good physios, 3 NHS and 1 private.

But so many women's health physios seem to go "Oh dear, PGP, here you go, have a tubigrip and do some pelvic floor exercises". Maybe the Welsh are more inspired.

Thanks for your opinions and links, I will do some reading up.

Um, what's the difference between spd and sicatica? I ask because I wonder if either of them have anything to do with my previous birth experience which was, quite frankly, utterly unmanageable. My labour pains were all in my bum - immense shooting pains up there every five mintues. I don't remember feeling any kind of contractions in my stomach or front. Even when they first started I couldn't sleep through them, although they were more than 5 minutes apart so I knew they weren't coming close enough together. Tens machine seemed to make it worse and as for my carefully learned breathing techniques - ha! After two days of no sleep I went to the hospital for some pain relief. Epidural was great, but slowed my contractions down further so they gave me oxytocin and the pain was as bad as before. After a few hours of that (and another sleepless night), and still not dilating much, my eyes glowed red and I insisted on a caesarean.

Nobody could tell me why the pain was like this. I asked if the baby was back to back but when he was taken out during the caesarean he wasn't. I wonder if it was some kind of nerve pain, if I am built in a way which causes my babies to lie on just the wrong spot (seems to be centred around my coxis). I'm asking because I ended up having a (psycologically) very traumatic birth and is one of the reasons why I don't want to attempt a VBAC and I have an appointment with the consultant in september to discuss this.

Sorry for the long ramble, but very interested to see what you think.

spd is a problem with too much movement in the joint at the front of your pelvis (pubic symphysis) due to hormones making your ligaments (that usually hold the joint together) slacker than usual.

Sciatica is due to pressure on your sciatic nerve. This comes out from between 2 vertebrae in your lower back, pases deep through your bottom and supplies the muscles, skin etc in the back of your legs.

Thank you IwishIwasmoreorganised.