Most people experience pelvic pain and spd in pregnancy in their lifetime . For some pelvic pain is a chronic condition that affects their life . Such as walking, lifting, climbing stairs, turning in bed, sleeping, working, sitting, going to the bathroom, socialising or even having sex.
According to research from the pain physician worldwide prevalence ranges between 5.7 and 26.6 percent. With some sources going higher specifically in pregnant mums. With approximately 1 in 5 pregnant women being affected by pelvic girdle pain PGP which can occur at any stage during or following the pregnancy. (1) In men mechanical causes can also be from brain, musculoskeletal inflammatory issues, traumas and chronic stress. (2) Chiropractors specializing in the treatment of PGP and manual therapies can provide relief for pregnant patients dealing with PGP and SPD. These therapies target soft tissues and address pelvic joint dysfunctions, offering effective treatment options for PGP.
For many people we see in practice with chronic pelvic pain have not been given a definitive diagnosis, which is often at times extremely difficult and frustrating. For many people, not having a clear idea of what is causing their pain leads to a lack of progress in the management of their condition.
But the possible mechanical causes of pelvic pain can help you to distinguish the culprit like Sherlock Holmes and get help sooner.
Your pelvis is located below your belly button and above your side of your hips. As a region it includes the hips tailbone, sacrum, pubis, and sacroiliac joints.
People with pelvic pain may experience an aching sensation, or stabbing, shooting pain anywhere within the pelvic region. Some people even feel the pain begin elsewhere like the lower back or even the upper thigh which then goes to the pelvis.
Because pelvic pain can be caused by a number of health issues, Life Balance Chiropractic Treatment Centre chiropractors specialise in the mechanical causes of this issue, so we will stay away from talking about others.
Pelvic pain is a symptom and not a disease. A symptom being something you feel and a sign is something you can see or observe. When it comes to mechanical pelvic pain often times there can be signs of stress before symptoms happen. Pelvic pain is either there all the time or some of the time and occurs in the pelvic region or lower back, and causes often times a limitation of daily activities and as a result reduced quality of life. Quality being the keyword.
Often times we see the patients just get used to living with their pain not realising that things they were able to do on a daily basis they just haven’t been able to. It isn’t until friends or family members point it out or they go to do something they realise that I should maybe go do something about this.
The symptoms of pelvic pain vary, some experience intense pain, while others mild aches. For some men and women, the pelvic pain can be so severe that it interferes with their their ability to engage in social and physical activity and normal activities like walking, lifting, climbing stairs, sleeping, turning in bed, sitting, going to the bathroom, socialising, exercising or even having sex.
For more pelvic pain is a chronic condition that affects every dimension of their life - health, physical, time doing things, emotions, their ability to work, relationships to name some. The location again can vary. It tends to affect one particular spot as a sharper stabbing pain or it can be dull or mild that spreads out or radiates to the upper leg or into the back. Pelvic pain is often associated with other issues, such as painful menstrual periods.
If you are suffering from PGP, it is advisable to book an appointment with a chiropractor experienced in the treatment of pelvic girdle pain. Addressing the mechanical causes of pelvic pain through chiropractic adjustments can significantly improve your quality of life during pregnancy. Seek professional help to alleviate discomfort and ensure a smoother journey through each stage of pregnancy.
After taking a full health history, consultation and how it affects your life with our day one project. We assess for Signs of pelvic problems and some examples of those are listed below.
16 signs of potential pelvic stress
There are many possible causes of spd in pregnancy. Here’s a rundown of the most common causes of pelvic girdle pain.
Before pelvic pain can be corrected, your Life Balance Chiropractor for pelvic girdle pain will perform specific diagnostic tests in order to determine the cause of the mechanical pain. The aim of Chiropractic care is to find the subluxation, where the problem is and to correct it and leave it alone. Low- force painless Chiropractic adjustments has been shown to be effective in reducing pelvic girdle pain (3).
All Chiropractors at Life Balance have been recognised by the pelvic partnership for the work we do with keeping pregnant women and mums on the move. A 2015 case study published found that chiropractic care was effective in reducing pelvic pain associated with public symphysis diathesis. Where the pubic bones in the front of the pelvic region become separated, dislocated or misaligned. In this study, a 30 year older women reported severe pelvic pain Seven days post birth. It was severe at times and interfered with walking and lifting her leg. She also experience lower back pain that radiated to both her thighs.
Chiropractic adjustments were applied to the lower back, sacrum and hips. Trigger points indemnified and compression applied and the women was instructed on stabilising exercises. Including pelvic title, bridge, kegels and stability ball.
Here pelvic pain improved immediately. After six weeks of specific chiropractic care, she reported progressive functional improvement in her life and reduced difficult walking, climbing stairs, standing and lying on her side. Effectively her whole life was changed and able again to live her life’s potential. (4)
Don't forget to check out Dr Josh's expert advice on Pelvic Girdle Pain below.
“ I have suffered years of pelvic girdle pain after my childbirth. Gradually increasing to a point where it got so bad I couldn't walk. I visited Life Balance Chiropractic Centre for the first time after I was recommended by my GP. The Life Balance Chiropractors took me through their day one project they took my history, I was examined and I have to say that it was one of the most detailed examination I have ever had. I went back in for my report if findings and felt like I knew I was in the right place and began a care program.
"I am now off my crutches and I am able to “bounce” my baby to sleep without my back hurting and wanting to put him down. An added bonus is they can adjust the Kids and they sleep beautifully"
Life Balance Chiropractic recommended I have my daughter checked after my birth. My daughter it seemed could not get comfortable on her back. Every time I tried to put her to sleep she would scream the house down and cry and arch her back like she was in pain.
I visited all matter of medical specialists and underwent tests for her and was told that she would grow out of it, with no diagnosis given and me and my husband not sleeping. As a last resort I brought her to the Life Balance Chiropractic Centre in Poole.
Examination revealed major upper neck C0/C1 subluxation and sacrum subluxation. The chiropractors I saw used very gentle holds to gentle release pressure to her spine and nerves. I have to say the change was pretty much instant. Over a few weeks we started to see a big change. That night when I lied her down to bed on her back she was fine and slept right through the night.
To say me and my husband were appreciative would be an understatement as we were exhausted. I still take my daughter in now every 2-3 months to be checked and to see where she is with her development and milestones and I have to say she is now 1 years old and is such a happy not so little cutey.
Self-care
Of course, chiropractic can help with pelvic girdle pain relief but when you couple adjustments with self care, your pelvis won’t be so annoyed anymore.
Top 3 tips for Rolling to Realign your own pelvis.
For all of these repeats 5 - 10 times each side with 2 sets.
1. Lye on your front and get your roller and foam roll your hip flexors. This helps to reduce the muscle tension of your hips muscles which cause your pelvis to rotate forward.
2. Lye on your back and get your foam roller into the insertion points of your hamstrings right underneath your bum check. This works on your hip extensors and helps reduce muscle tension of your hips muscles which cause you to lose your normal lumbar lordosis and give you that flat back look.
3. Lye back onto your front and then roll your abdominals up and down working up into the lower ribs to release muscle tension in the abs and diaphragm that stabilise your pelvis.
Don’t roll your back which we often see people do. This is one of the worst things you can do. Particularly when you are getting releases through the spine. As your moving areas of your back that are probably already moving too much.
As always, take it easy, be cautious with the these roller exercises. You want to realign the pelvis not irritate it even more. You will feel some discomfort with these exercises, but no pain no gain. That all well and done work within your own tolerance and stop them immediately if the pain worsens.
Dr Josh is a Pregnancy Chiropractor who’s journey into health started as a kid. Growing up seeing his mum go through years of health challenges after giving birth to him and being an ICU baby embolden him. His passion meets at the intersection of a love of learning, about principles that contribute to quality health and the self healing ability of the body and human potential. He see’s health challenges and injuries as a way to inspire people to live a better life and is recently curious about exploring new ways to create value at this intersection.
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