{"id":3895,"date":"2017-06-25T04:39:11","date_gmt":"2017-06-25T04:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/?p=3895"},"modified":"2017-06-25T04:39:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-25T04:39:11","slug":"pregnancy-pelvic-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/2017\/06\/25\/pregnancy-pelvic-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Pregnancy Pelvic Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merakaitherapies.com.au\/\">Jodie Isles<\/a> | Remedial Massage Therapist<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>&#8230;.I\u2019m going to call it pregnancy triple P<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So many women say:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<em>My hips and pelvis feel like they are \u201cfalling apart\u201d, my hips just ache all the time or at night, when I walk my pelvis feels unstable and sore, and\/or I have pain in the pubic area<\/em>&#8220;.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For some women, it is a general dull ache, which after some changes to posture and positioning, exercise and massage it can be managed.\u00a0 For others, it can be quite debilitating, requiring specialist care.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Before we continue, any hip or pelvis pain should be checked firstly by your obstetrician, and then by a women&#8217;s health specialist such as a physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor.\u00a0 Proper diagnosis is essential. \u00a0There are a number of things that can\u00a0help,\u00a0such as manual therapies by your specialist, massage, and using a pregnancy pelvic control belt.\u00a0 We have some very specific massage techniques we use to assist with reducing the muscle tension, and assisting to gently support and reduce strain to the ligaments which aide other specialist care.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So, let\u2019s continue about you and your hip\/pelvis pain \u2026.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Pelvic pain is pain in your pelvic joints that may develop during or after pregnancy.\u00a0 It may be caused by:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Changes to posture<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Increased pressure on the pelvis due to the growing baby<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Hormonal changes which soften the ligaments that support the pelvis<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are a number of hormonal changes during your pregnancy.\u00a0 One in particular, you have no doubt heard of, is Relaxin.\u00a0 It is a vital hormone for pregnancy responsible for supporting the uterus to remain at rest during your pregnancy, and for dilating the cervix during labour.\u00a0 It is also used to increase flexibility of the pubic symphysis and ligaments of the sacral joints.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Pelvic postural changes during pregnancy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Your pelvis has a lot of changes to accommodate the increasing size of the uterus and your baby.<\/p>\n<p>During pregnancy and as your baby, &amp; therefore uterus grows, it puts pressure on the pelvis to tip forward.\u00a0 The sacrum (the large, wedge shaped bone that sits at the base of our spine)\u00a0has the tendency to tip forward to try to balance the load.<\/p>\n<p>Think of this like a bowl sitting on a bench, if you put a load to the front of the bowl it will naturally tip forward and eventually spill the load.\u00a0 That\u2019s what is happening to your pelvis, your baby is sitting at the front of the pelvis, causing your pelvis to tip forward and strain muscles, ligaments and associated joints.\u00a0 Ideally, we would like to see your baby sitting back into your pelvis, like this:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-tilt.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3911\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-tilt-300x210.png\" alt=\"pelvic tilt\" width=\"422\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-tilt-300x210.png 300w, http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-tilt.png 387w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Physiotherapists specialising in pregnancy can help you with the right exercises to do at home to encourage the correct pelvic position and strengthen your core muscles in your abdomen to support this pelvic position.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What muscles are affected with the pelvic pain?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>With the changes your posture, generally your lower back becomes more curved, and your mid back has to curve more the opposite way to balance you out.\u00a0 Because your pelvis tips forward, your quadriceps (muscles at the front of your thigh) generally become shorter and tighter, and your hamstrings (muscles at the back of your thigh) get tight as they are being lengthened.<\/p>\n<p>Tightness can also occur in the Gluteals, hip flexors (one\u2019s that bend your knees up, and help you touch your toes), adductors (your inner thigh), and lower back due to associated pelvis change.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What does pelvic pain feel like?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Pelvic Pain can feel like clicking or grinding of the pelvic joints; Or pain in the front, side or back of the pelvis, buttock, groin and possibly down to the thighs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Most women complain about pain in one or more of these shaded areas:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-pain.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3912\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-pain-300x151.jpg\" alt=\"pelvic pain\" width=\"455\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-pain-300x151.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pelvic-pain-1024x516.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can make your pelvic pain worse?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prolonged walking<\/li>\n<li>Fast walking<\/li>\n<li>Getting in and out of the bed or car<\/li>\n<li>Rolling in bed<\/li>\n<li>Lying flat<\/li>\n<li>Deep squatting or lunging<\/li>\n<li>Standing on one leg (i.e getting dressed \u2013 putting on pants)<\/li>\n<li>Moving from sitting to standing<\/li>\n<li>High impact exercise (e.g. running and jumping activities)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can I do at home to help alleviate the pain?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t push through the pain<\/li>\n<li>Try to stand tall at all times, and feel like your tipping your belly back into the cup (i.e pelvis) as outlined above<\/li>\n<li>Sit tall with a back support<\/li>\n<li>Take smaller steps when walking<\/li>\n<li>Walk shorter distances<\/li>\n<li>Reduce heavy lifting, and pushing &amp; pulling activities (think of the action \u00a0people have when using a vacuum cleaner)<\/li>\n<li>Break up large tasks into smaller activities<\/li>\n<li>Rest between activities<\/li>\n<li>Keep knees together when rolling in bed<\/li>\n<li>Roll under rather than over when rolling in bed (i.e. typically women roll with knees over the top. \u00a0Try rolling where you lift up and scoop your knees underneath you &amp; do a cat stretch before lying down to the other side. \u00a0You may need more room in the bed for this one)<\/li>\n<li>Sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs (<strong>make sure your hips and knees are bent at 90\u00ba angle, and your knee is in line with your hip horizontally).<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Sleep with a pregnancy pillow under your belly to support uterine ligaments and prevent them pulling your hip and rolling forward<\/li>\n<li>Sleep with a wedge pillow under your bottom hip on the bed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Getting in and out of bed<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>It is important to support any positional change when your lying down. \u00a0As mentioned above, provide the support to your hips and pelvis whilst you are lying down. \u00a0Also make sure you take the time to get up with as little strain on the hips and pelvis as possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/getting-out-of-bed.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3913\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/getting-out-of-bed-300x72.jpg\" alt=\"getting out of bed\" width=\"430\" height=\"103\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/getting-out-of-bed-300x72.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/getting-out-of-bed-1024x248.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Any other tips?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Wear a compression garment or support belt (available from physiotherapists)<\/li>\n<li>Some women may need crutches or wheelchairs to walk long distances.\u00a0 Please see a physiotherapist and\/or your specialist for this.<\/li>\n<li>Seek advice from a physiotherapist or exercise specialist for strengthening exercises for the hip, pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles.\u00a0<em>Please see a physiotherapist before commencing any exercises.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Any discomfort and\/or pain in pregnancy should be seen to, don\u2019t be afraid to ask if there is anything that can be done to help with your pain.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Booking Details<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To book a consultion please click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merakaitherapies.com.au\/book-now\/\">here<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To read previous articles posted by Jodie please click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merakaitherapies.com.au\/massage-blog\/\">here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Information Sources:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pregnancymassageaustralia.com.au\"><em>Pregnancy Massage Australia <\/em><\/a><em>NurtureLife\u00ae practitioner manual<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Prenatal Massage \u2013 a textbook of pregnancy, labor, and postpartum bodywork \u2013 Elaine Stillerman<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jodie Isles | Remedial Massage Therapist &#8230;.I\u2019m going to call it pregnancy triple P &nbsp; So many women say: &#8220;My hips and pelvis feel like they are \u201cfalling apart\u201d, my hips just ache all the time or at night, &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/2017\/06\/25\/pregnancy-pelvic-pain\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[61,3,1,6,4,433],"tags":[1084,1085,1087,1090,1089,1091,1086,427,982,983,984,1088,1092,1094,1093,763,713,35,434],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3895"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3895"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3944,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3895\/revisions\/3944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}