Comments on: Exercise for Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) or Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) in Pregnancy

By: GOOOGLEGIRL7

GOOOGLEGIRL7 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:18:00 +0000

Thanks for this article. Is there any way you would be willing to do a quick visual demonstration of these exercises on youtube? The descriptions are good but i do great with visuals!

By: Talk2megorgeous

Talk2megorgeous — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Sorry to hear this, I also suffer from SPD and do stretches everyday which helps. Unfortunately there’s nothings that can be done as relaxin does help soften bone and joints but when too much is produced then it becomes damn painful in the pubic region ESP. Hope your pregnancy goes well, my SPD also started early with this second pregnancy

By: Wendy Powell

Wendy Powell — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:23:00 +0000

Wow. You poor woman, & I can’t imagine how scared you
must feel knowing you have this pregnancy & birth to get through now… the most helpful thing I can say to you is that you MUST get your medically trained caregivers to take you seriously this time. You’ve written it down here – show this to your doctor or physio/chiro. The exercises described in ex article will help to strengthen your core & pelvic region & alleviate discomfort in most cases of SPD… but if the pain is too much then you need more than I can offer in this context of 1. Not dealing with you on a personal level & 2. pain that is outside my realm of expertise to diagnose or treat. All of the hints & tips & facts in this series of
SPD articles are relevant to you & will help. But you need more than I can give in this context in terms of pain relief & personally prescribed support. Please keep knocking on those doors until someone really LISTENS to you. Tylenol (equivalent to Paracetemol for the UK readers) is not going to cut it, & yet again women are being let down by simply not being taken seriously by certain professionals. Good luck & please keep us informed of your progress
through this pregnancy.

By: Wendy Powell

Wendy Powell — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:21:00 +0000

Hi there, to clarify, as I said in my reply to Emily Vega1980 this article is about PGP/SPD NOT symphysis Diastasis, which you sadly have suffered with & which DOES require medical intervention. As you say, your bones had actually separated & needed to be relaligned & actually fused back together. This is not the same as *just* PGP pain
(that generally subsides after pregnancy & that can be relieved with appropriate strengthening & realignment exercises), but a separate condition. I hope that clarifies & more importantly, I hope you find
relief following recovery from your operation. Please keep us posted on your progress? Your experience will be valuable to others on this blog. Wishing you well, Wendy

By: Cstewart09

Cstewart09 — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:17:00 +0000

I am so thrilled I have come across this!!! My first pregnancy was great (I wish I could go back and NOT complain about that “awful” back pain). I’m a tiny woman and was not expecting to have a 9lb+, 23″ baby! Not only that, but he got stuck and instead of vacuuming him out or anything less invasive, the doctor shoved her hands up there too. It took 2 months for the bruising and swelling to go down. 4 months later I ended up with what the doctors describe as irritable bowel syndrome (they can’t figure out what it is), as well as a back that can’t/won’t stay aligned. Every 3 months like clockwork I start experiencing symptoms of severe depression, and within the week I can feel that my back has gone out. Also, I have the occasional numb/tingly feet, hands, and even sometime a single tingly toe? All of which started after I delivered my first.
Around 6 months in to my second pregnancy I lost my quality of life. I can remember the immense pain I had. It felt like my hips and pubic bones were flying all over the place. It was like I was dislocating bones/joints every time I moved. Nothing hurt more than my OB telling me it wasn’t SPD and to go home and take a regular strength tylenol. I couldn’t interact with my 2 year old, couldn’t host a birthday party for him, nothing. I was just lucky my son was a low energy child. He had no problems just sitting in the living room with me. But what an awful way for him to spend 3 months of his life! I still remember my delivery as well. The pain was brutal, I couldn’t sit on a birthing ball, walking/swaying my hips was a killer. I opted for the epidural. Unfortunately I had even more trauma from him. I remember after the epi wore off, I needed to pee. I tried going to the washroom and I just screamed standing. My whole pelvis felt like it was broken. Labor and delivery (which I’ve experienced sans epidural before), was NOTHING compared to that pain. I needed 2 nurses to wheel me and have that floating seat to go. I cried in pain the entire time. It took a while before I could move without pain.
Now here I am, 2 years later. I am 14 weeks pregnant and the clicking in my hips and pelvic pain has started. I walk around grasping my self for support. This time I have a midwife which I hope equals better care and someone who listens and helps. I will be starting these exercises today and I hope soon I will be under the care of a physiotherapist and maybe even a chiropractor. I’m only 3 months into this pregnancy. I can’t imagine 6 months of this pain and torture. Especially when my first is laid back, but my second is a hellion (to the point where friends and family won’t take him even for a drive..). No idea how I’m going to make it through this if I get no help for the pain:(

By: Ivyray

Ivyray — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:49:00 +0000

I’m wondering if you’d had an xray to see how far the pubic bones are separated. If they are separated far enough it won’t matter how much muscle and core work you do, you will experience pain because you are out of alignment because of the separation. I recommend having an xray and then seeing a surgeon about possibly fusing the bones together. In my case I not only had separation but also was misaligned causing extreme hip pain because of the misalignment. I have just had the surgery and don’t know what the results will be but several surgeons told me that going on without fixing it would only cause more damage to my hips, back, etc.

By: Ivyray

Ivyray — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:39:00 +0000

Actually, this can be permanent. I just had surgery to fuse the pubic bones back together and am still on bed rest because of it- 18 month after delivery. I saw a trauma orthopedic surgeon who told me it was basically as if I were in a car accident and just walked away. If the ligaments tears enough and the bones are not close enough (in my case they were separated by 4cm) not close enough to grow back together, ever. MOST women do find relief after but not all. In my case I did not experience the PGP during pregnancy but rather during the delivery and you could actually hear the cracking/ tearing. I’m not sure what my results will be, but I’m hoping for the best. I experienced the same that all of the above listed- pain would come and go with exercise, worse during my cycle, my feet were numb when I woke in the morning, etc.

By: Wendy Powell

Wendy Powell — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:30:37 +0000

Hi Emily, you may have got this confused with Symphysis Diastasis, which is where there is an actual gap (a ‘diastasis’) at the Symphysis Pubis joint.. Symphysis Pubis dysfunction is to do with the ligaments becoming lax – but there is a difference between that & an actual gap, which could require medical intervention. I hope that is helpful?

By: Emily Vega1980

Emily Vega1980 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:13:00 +0000

I have read if the pain doesn’t subside after a few months after child birth then surgery maybe necessary to realign the pelvic gap that causes the pain.

By: Wendy Powell

Wendy Powell — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:47:00 +0000

Hi there, I am so sorry for you, your condition sounds
terrible All that cardio & working out is causing you pain though, &
I have to say that there is never a circumstance when physical exercise should
cause us so much pain. You have fundamental mechanical (i.e. to do with your
bone & muscle structure) imbalances & issues that leaping around &
kick boxing are not going to help. You MUST come back to the fundamentals -
without first RESTORING your core & pelvic floor (you need to be strong… not
tight, strong) & in correct alignment, the pain is not going to go away
& your gruelling workout schedule is going to increase tension & pain
until your body REALLY tells you about it.
The doctor you need may be a Chiropractor, a Biomechanist, A Kinesiologist,
he/she may be an Osteopath or an exercise specialist who can work with you
one-to-one – my recommendation would be to explore these options, get referrals
& to stay open minded until you find the right one.
My advice to you first though is to back off throwing your body around &
causing yourself such pain & physical stress. Chronic (long term) pain is not OK, it’s not acceptable
& what you’re doing is causing it, you need to change what you’re doing.
Start with restoring & finding the muscles that are holding you in place -
you need to learn to engage & use your core & pelvic muscles, & to
stand & move with correct alignment.