Pelvic Girdle Pain/SPD

[crystal7]

I'm 23 weeks pregant with my 2nd and have been experiencing pain/pressure in the pelvic area and hips. At the moment it's only really painful at night (so not getting much sleep) but googling (I know, I know) suggests that if I don't get treatment early it could escalate. I'm a bit paranoid about ending up on crutches with a toddler etc...My midwife has referred me to the physio team at Kings but doesn't know how long it will take so may go to my GP for a letter and go through BUPA.

Just wondered if anyone has any tips on coping with this sort of pain, especially at night?

Thanks!

[SummerMum]

Hi, sympathies indeed - I had this with only one of my three pregnancies - it was intensely painful. I saw an osteopath above Soup Dragon (this was some years ago, so not sure if she is still there). This did help for a while after.

I do remember do not cross your legs, do not sit cross-legged, do not do anything other than keep everything in a straight line. I can't remember how this worked with sleep though, as if you want to sleep on your side, later on, then can't remember if that made it worse or not. I think walking pushing a buggy would help, as it is like a walking frame!

I remember being told even something like stepping off the pavement on to the road can be a trigger. So, not easy for trying to deal with a toddler at all.

I do hope you get the help you need, as it can be so painful, but mine went as soon as the baby was born, and I didn't get it again with subsequent pregnancies.

All the best.

[Yak]

Ask your midwife for an urgent referral. I was seen by kings within 2 wks if I remember correctly. Good luck getting it sorted - it is really horrible!

[The Nappy Lady]

For sleep on your side put a pillow (or 2) under your knee to raise the upper leg, so the pelvic joint is not being stretched.

I had problems with my Sacriliac (sp?) Joint & it was horrible, like being stabbed with a sharp knife in the hip/back.

You need an urgent referral on this. Good luck.

[BellendenBear]

I had SPD in my recent pregnancy and can highly recommend seeing Russell at Dulwich Physio (above DMC on Crystal Palace Road). Several others on here recommended him to me. Cost ?45 but was well worth it, and I only needed one session. I painfully hobbled in and half an hour later walked out almost pain free. The treatment involved massage and demonstrating exercises.

I also got an NHS referral via my midwife and was seen very quickly. They gave a very thorough assessment to confirm that it was SPD and provided leaflets showing exercises and dos and don'ts but didn't actually do anything to relieve the symptoms there and then in the way that the private physio did. Conversely to what Molly suggests, they told me to avoid sleeping with a pillow between the legs.

I hope it gets better soon. It is really painful and frustrating not to be able to be as active as you would like while pregnant.

[jennyh]

Hi

My friend is one of the physios at Kings, I dropped her a text message and she said that if you give me your name she can look into your referral and see about fasttracking it...no promises sadly. Apparently it is usually 1 week if you are 36+ weeks but 2-3 weeks if you are before.

Let me know if this would help. I had SPD so I know how awful it can be!

Jenny

[mima08]

I had SPD in the last few weeks of my pregnancy and saw the Chiropractor on Crystal Palace Road - 3 sessions and I was sorted. Can hugely recommend. Hope it gets better soon!

mx

[alieh]

I had this in both pregnancies. In the second I saw a chiropractor around 32 weeks and it was sorted in one session. I can't believe I waited that long. The midwives seemed to think it was just normal pregnancy pain so I did nothing about it for much too long.

[simonethebeaver]

I had severe PGP in pregnancy, and in fact still have some lingering pain 6 weeks after the birth. I also saw Daniel Harvey the chiropractor on Crystal Palace Road, who did a great deal to alleviate the worst of it, and who has just (I hope) knocked it on the head now.

I went to King's for physio, and asked for an urgent referral, but didn't find them

very helpful. They only did a cursory exam and were very much 'there's's nothing we can do' although the crutches helped. The exercises they gave me weren't very useful. Also the clinic at Dulwich Hospital, while staffed with lovely people, is upstairs with only a goods lift, so I had to ask to be taken up in a wheelchair. I switched to King's after that, as there's a lift!

Good luck, it is horrible. Rest as much as possible. Mine did ease before the birth thankfully. And I definitely found a pillow between my legs helped.