SI And Pubic Symphysis Paing During Pregnancy

Been there, done that! Be careful with doing too much exercise. I did that and accidentally fell and broke my pelvic bone ontop of having the symphysis issue. They can't do a cast for that...and so I basically sat around waiting to die until my emergency c-section (another story) a week later. The baby came early and I was sooo happy.

If you can get in with a chiropractor who does pregnancy massage, you will benefit more than with the physical therapy. Some specialize in dealing with this particular problem, and it helps ALOT. Some women have reported having no more pain after going to a chiropractor. Not my case, I still had issues, but it helped for sure.

Some other things that helped were: When sleeping or resting, lay on your side, not your back. When sleeping/resting use a foam wedge (sometimes you kind find these at medical supply shops or pharmacy like CVS) between your knees. The foam wedge will help align your hips and spine while you sleep.

When you get out of bed, keep the pillow/wedge between your legs and roll out of bed. NEVER separate your legs to get out bed like normal. You need to put both feet down at the same time to minimize pain.

Same with getting in and out of a car...never separate your legs. Put your tush in first, then swing both legs around into the car.

Heat and Ice can do wonders you know where. I had several microwaveable mineral packs handy that I'd put on my swollen and achey places and it really helped relieve pain. Hot baths are good too, but sometimes not worth it if you can't get in and out of the tub with out help...the whole separating the legs thing. I just did showers and used the packs...it was easier. Ice packs can help too. Depends on circumstances.

A pelvic girdle may help too. You can buy these from a pharmacy or online. They are a little tricky to find, but they can help keep your hips aligned if you must do alot of walking.

No high heels of course. They throw your hips out of alignment.

If it gets bad enough, you may benefit from using crutches or a cane to get the pressure off of your hips and spine when walking.

If you get real desperate, Tylenol. While it's safe while pregnant, always check with doc first just in case you have special circumstances.

Here is one of the best articles I've found on the subject. You may have already seen it, but just in case here it is. It has lots of good information and advice:

http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/pubicpain.htm

Here's another:

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/phy...

Here's a link for knee pillow and pelvic girdle

http://www99.epinions.com/health_aids/xDN_~knee___leg_and...

http://www.amazon.com/Koshiluck-Double-Pelvic-Belt-Mainte...

http://www.amazon.com/Maternity-Pelvic-Support-Girdle-Var...

Here's another kind of support LOL!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pelvic-Girdle-Pain-and-Symp...

Hope this helps!

3 moms found this helpful

I feel your pain. I was in the exact same position 9 months ago. Yes, you might find help w a chiropractor. But I encourage you to check out a cradle. That's what I was told, although I never did it; but it helps carry the weight. And I have to repeat to never open your legs. Try to rest as much as possible! I found that Tylenol didn't help much, but it's worth a try.

I hate to say it, but mine got to the worst point after I delivered. I could barely get to the bathroom! Rest and drugs then, and try to get help for the first several days!

Good luck! Keep your eye on the prize!!!

As a physical therapist, I say make sure you find a PT who specializes in this issue--that is the key. In response to the person recommending chiropractic over PT, PT can be VERY helpful in this situation, but again, it needs to be with someone who specializes in this issue. Your average new grad or sports PT may not have the right skills and extra training. For example, I would never take you on as a patient for this b/c I specialize in pediatrics and have gone to NO continuing education on pelvic or SI pain much less those issues during pregnancy. Good Luck!

I'm 37 weeks and have the same problem with pubic symphysis pain. My OB suggested a heating pad and acetaminophen. Some days are worse than others and this is my 4th pregnancy but I have NEVER felt like this before, so this pain is very new for me. I know how much it hurts...some days I can barely walk. I've only had c-sections and this pregnancy is supposed to be a planned c-section as well. I do hope the pain goes away after the birth of my baby. I wish had something more to share....

I would try chiropractic care for sure!! After the birth of my second daughter (who had shoulder dystocia when coming out) my pelvis was so out allignment that I could hardly walk. I couldn't stand on one leg. It was aweful! I went to a chiropractor and within just a few visits I was pain free! I'm sure if I would have gone to a medical Dr they would have told me to rest and or given me pain medication. None of that would have fixed the problem, only masked it. Especially when you're pregnant you don't want to medicate the pain away, you'd rather go a more natural route and ensure the safety of your baby.
Give Lake Point Chiropractic and Wellness a call and see how they can help you. Most of the Drs there specialize in prenatal care! Their website is www.lpwellness.com

I hope you find relief soon!

I had the same thing too, with both my pregnancies. I just suffered with it the first time around, but the 2nd time, I saw a chiropractor who is trained in the Webster Technique. It helped SOOOO much! A good place to find the right kind of chiro is:
http://icpa4kids.org/Find-a-Chiropractor/

Good luck - I hope you can find some relief!

I totally feel your pain! Actually, I *felt* your pain. So here's my story. My first baby wasn't too painful. My second, I was in a LOT of pain and delivery was actually longer than my first. This time around, we hired a doula. When I told her about my pain, she suggested seeing a chiropractor. I have never in my life seen a chiropractor, and have some skepticism about my ability to find a good one. She recommended a cranio-sacral therapist that she knew. I had never heard of this, and, again, was skeptical. What she said was this: Chiros work with alignment; CST's work on muscle memory. So, if you're aligned, but your muscles keep pulling you back out of whack, you still hurt. The session was about an hour, and it was like getting a massage. NOTHING hurt, nothing pulled, nothing was stressful to my body. She did a number of things to me that helped, and she showed me how to have my husband do them, also. What helped the most, by far: she had me on my back, knees together, feet open at toes, closed at the heels. I was supposed to press against her hands, and, when she felt appropriate tension, she let go. My pubic bone actually popped back into place, and it was completely night and day. I had my husband do this about every other day until I delivered, and I went from two deliveries in the 50-some-hours to a much easier, 18 hour delivery. It was amazing. Before the appointment, I was hobbling around, gimping; after the appointment, I could walk just like normal--almost no pain at all (I was 38 weeks along...a little pain was to be expected). Don't just try what I told you about; I didn't do a very good job explaining it, and there's more to it--but if you find someone who can do that for you, and teach you, wow....all I can say is it made a WORLD of difference for me. Even my husband was impressed, and he doesn't tend to buy into alternative medicine much, either.

Updated

I totally feel your pain! Actually, I *felt* your pain. So here's my story. My first baby wasn't too painful. My second, I was in a LOT of pain and delivery was actually longer than my first. This time around, we hired a doula. When I told her about my pain, she suggested seeing a chiropractor. I have never in my life seen a chiropractor, and have some skepticism about my ability to find a good one. She recommended a cranio-sacral therapist that she knew. I had never heard of this, and, again, was skeptical. What she said was this: Chiros work with alignment; CST's work on muscle memory. So, if you're aligned, but your muscles keep pulling you back out of whack, you still hurt. The session was about an hour, and it was like getting a massage. NOTHING hurt, nothing pulled, nothing was stressful to my body. She did a number of things to me that helped, and she showed me how to have my husband do them, also. What helped the most, by far: she had me on my back, knees together, feet open at toes, closed at the heels. I was supposed to press against her hands, and, when she felt appropriate tension, she let go. My pubic bone actually popped back into place, and it was completely night and day. I had my husband do this about every other day until I delivered, and I went from two deliveries in the 50-some-hours to a much easier, 18 hour delivery. It was amazing. Before the appointment, I was hobbling around, gimping; after the appointment, I could walk just like normal--almost no pain at all (I was 38 weeks along...a little pain was to be expected). Don't just try what I told you about; I didn't do a very good job explaining it, and there's more to it--but if you find someone who can do that for you, and teach you, wow....all I can say is it made a WORLD of difference for me. Even my husband was impressed, and he doesn't tend to buy into alternative medicine much, either.

I would try chiropractic!!! And they will get you in today most likely!

Oh, I'm so sorry! I had that too, with both pregnancies and I'm not sure I can do another. : ( I have two "belts" that I got from a PT that are very helpful. The SI Lock one is what I wore during pregnancies and I have another with a pad against the sacrum for now. We bought a ranch house between pregnancies, hoping for the best, and that was helpful--we were too big for out townhome and needed to expand. The pain was very bad after the birth also. I ended up getting a cortisone injection into my right SI joint after my daughter was born. I have damage in that SI joint, and while my pain has gone away at times, two years later I still need chiropractic care or pt once a week because my sacrum won't stay in place. : ( Painful. I hope that's not your outcome! Seeing a pt now and after would be good--mine is SO helpful with gently putting my joints back into place and giving me exercises to continue to strengthen muscles to help hold the joint in place. I second the suggestions made by JL.
Best wishes!

Lots of good tips here!
I just wanted to add, if you can afford it-
Get a new mattress, what a difference it made for me!
Good luck!