Terrible pelvic girdle pain! Helped needed

[EllenaV]

Hi all, wondering if someone can help me. I'm 37 weeks pregnant with my second child and as with my first pregnancy I am now really struggling with pelvic girdle pain, this time I've had it since about 16 weeks and am now at the point where I can barely walk (tricky as my first child is 2 and a half).

I have seen a physio through the nhs who did nothing but give me crutches and advise I do as little as possible, not very realistic as I have my son to look after. My midwife was less the sympathetic and I've been left feeling like I'm being a big baby. I've had a number of nasty sports injuries (from years as a gymnast) and think I've got a relatively high pain threshold and I'm in absolute agony! Just wondering if anyone out there has any thing they could recommend, perhaps a chiropractor they've used or anything they found to ease to pain (aside from painkillers which I've not found particularly effective) as I am now at my wits end!

[blackkat]

Oh no! I had this from 22weeks and it's absolute agony, I really feel your pain. I found that neither physio nor painkillers helped at all either. After I'd had my baby I did meet a local osteopath from Crystal Palace who seemed very knowledgeable on the subject and said he could definitely help in case it happened next time. I'm afraid I don't have his details, but definitely worth phoning a few places and seeing if they can help. Unfortunately the best thing really is to rest as much as possible, impossible with a toddler, I know! Presumably you're using a plastic bag on your seats and car seat so as to be able to swizzle easier; lying on your side and pushing up from lying down; keeping your legs together as much as possible etc? Ask family and friends for lots of help - really bad cases have to use wheelchairs which you definitely want to avoid. I guess the small consolation is that it should vastly improve almost as soon as you give birth, so only two more weeks - hang in there, and good luck!

[EmilyPie]

Your physio sounds a bit useless IMO! Did they give you a support belt? Nothing fancy, just a big white elastic belt that fastens with Velcro that you wear round your hips. Helps hold it all together and I found it really helped. Not the most comfortable or elegant thing to wear but I found it really helped. You could try asking your gp for one if not. May also be worth seeing a different gp if yours is no good, and just be bullish about it. They shouldn't be allowed to dismiss it as just pregnancy related.

Also make sure you do your pelvic floor exercises as much as you can as it is those core muscles that help pull everything together. I also did a pregnancy Pilates class which I found helped but you want to be careful that you find a class with someone who knows what they're doing as you don't want to end up making it worse. Also make sure you keep your knees together when you are turning over inbed, getting out of the car etc.

Good luck. It is really grim so I hope it gets better soon!

[EmilyPie]

This is worth a read http://www.csp.org.uk/sites/files/csp/secure/acpwh-pgphp_0.pdf it is the chartered institute of physio therapists guidance for health care professionals on pelvic girdle pain. Always useful to know what they should be doing!

[alieh]

I've had this in all 3 pregnancies. In my first pregnancy I had much the same experience as you and just suffered. Midwives seemed unaware of the problem and/or indifferent. In my second pregnancy I got fed up and found a chiropractor. Within 2 treatments my symptoms were almost gone (still had to be careful when rolling over in bed, but otherwise almost totally normal). In my 3rd pregnancy I went to the chiropractor at 20 some-odd weeks at first sign of symptoms and had 2 or 3 treatments and then have been seen once a month since.

I am still angry that I suffered for no reason in my first pregnancy.

I recommend Daniel at the chiropractor on Crystal Palace Rd.

I hope you get some relief somehow!

[patt1980]

I feel for you as I have a 3 week old baby and a 2 and a half year old and was in exactly this position 6 weeks ago. I went to see Russel at Dulwich Physio (in DMC on Crystal palace rd) on the advice of others on the forum for PGP and he really helped to get me through the last few weeks of pregnancy with a treatment a week and he would tape up my back to hold in the sacro-iliac joint in between. With this and also using a heat pack at night it got a bit more manageable, I also found that for me bouncing on the gym ball which I was doing a fair bit at this point actually really aggravated it so when I worked that out and stopped it helped.

To give you some hope it cleared up for me within a week or so this pregnancy and even though I am tired with a newborn I feel great being able to actually move again! I found the last few weeks with pgp and a toddler much worse than recovery from a fairly tricky labour and sleepless nights.

Good luck.

[simonethebeaver]

Daniel is great, and kept me sane in my first pregnancy.

It's a bit late now at 37 weeks sadly but for others reading, there is a SPECIALIST women's Physio service at Tommy's that your GP can refer you to. A friend told me about it and I was shocked that my Kings midwives had never heard of it. They are superb and will be extremely proactive. They will do hands on work, hydrotherapy etc. The physios at Kings are excellent in general but not specialist. Having said that, they really should have given you a support belt.

There is an osteopath in Tunbridge Wells called Quentin Shaw who is the sort of national expert in PGP issues. I saw him after my first baby was born and he helped a lot.

http://www.osteopath-tunbridge-wells.co.uk/

Also look at this site for other ideas. They are very sympathetic on the phone too.

http://www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk/

[Knomester]

Hello

I am at a much much earlier stage in my pregnancy than you but sounds like I'm in pretty much the same situation. It is really tricky with a toddler isn't it? I have spoken to my physio (I've had physio on and off for years, so am lucky to have that initial contact). He has given me a support belt as someone else mentioned. It doesn't work brilliantly for me, but you should give one a try - you can buy them online from Physio Supplies if you're struggling to get one elsewhere. Core strength is the key to managing symptoms and pain as much as is possible, so some gentle pilates would help if you can find the time. I've also found that really slowing down and limiting the time I spend on my feet and/or in one position helps. It means it is taking me forever to get anywhere, but I'm not waking with the pain in the night as much as I was even a week ago, although it's still bad during the day and especially the evenings.

I'm sure you've probably tried most of these suggestions already, but just in case!

[EllenaV]

Thanks to everyone who responded- after another sleepless night up in agony I will book in to see the chiropractors on Crystal palace road. Even if it brings some relief in the last couple of weeks it'll be worth it! Thanks again x

[mima08]

Hiya - i got this at in the last months of my pregnancy and Daniel Harvey was great: two sessions the pain was (mostly) gone. Highly recommend him! http://www.dulwichchiropractic.co.uk/. All the best! mx

[Issy76]

It's so tough when you have PGP and a toddler to chase after! Had it in all my 3 pregnancies, was on crutches and always in agony :( Physio "should" help but didn't really. The best thing for me was my maternity slide sheet The Snoozle to help me move in bed and a pillow between my legs at night. I only felt the bump belt helped if I was standing up but in the end of the pregnancy I was almost completely bedridden anyway.

[Bonfire2010]

I had this as well and went to see Russel at Dulwich Physio on the advice of friends and recommendations from this forum. He was very good and my SPD is now under control - I think the key is to catch it as early as possible.

[ed83]

I went to see Lizzi at ESPH, who specialises in women's issues. Feeling better already so would also recommend her.

[missse22]

Another recommendation for Daniel Harvey! He helped me when I had serious hip / pevic pains during and after pregnancy.

He is absolutely amazing, and currently doing treatment on my neck that I managed to pull whilst sleeping :(

Here is the number of his chiropractor clinic 0208 693 1115

His receptionist is also great and happily kept my 2 boys, and my niece company in the waiting room while Daniel worked his magic on my neck!!