Hip/Leg/Pelvic pain...

[LadyCatherine185]

So this week I've been having really bad pain in my "hip"... kind of where my hip and pelvis meet in the rear.. if that makes sense... after/during walking and especially going up/down steps or trying to move sideways, etc. It hurts to put weight on it. After walking a bit today my entire pelvis hurt, front back and sides. I am wondering if I have just overdone it (a lot of walking in the last week or so) or if this is something pregnancy related? Has anyone else experienced this? If it doesn't go away on its own soon I am planning to call my MW.. (I am currently "between" MW's, have transferred all my records to the new MW but don't have an apt with her until August 9th.)

Thanks Mamas!

[VeganCupcake]

It sounds like your sacrum. That's a pretty common place to have pain during pregnancy. Can you get to a chiropractor who works with pregnant women?

[MaerynPearl]

Perhaps look up Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction and see if it sounds like that?

There are varying degrees of intensity of it, some women its just a discomfort while for some of us, so much as moving makes you hurt.

Luckily, if thats what it is there are several things you can do to make the pain less, including a trip to the chiropractor and wearing a support belt, as well as watching how you walk (keep your knees together as much as possible)

[LadyCatherine185]

I looked up SPD and it sounds like it could be that, although the pain is more on the side/back rather than the front/middle...

[MaerynPearl]

mine started in my lower back (around 12 weeks along, and only if I walked like... a mile straight without sitting...) and over time moved to my groin (the area below, between where the leg and the pelvis meet) and not until my late-20-weeks did it hit the front/pubis

part of the pubis separation is also in the back... there's 2 separations back there and only one in the front... but all three can get too loose and hurt (even at different times! My right back one has been absolutely killing me lately!)

[mamaofthree]

during one of my pregnancies i had the most horrid hip/pelvis pain. i honestly thought i was gonna crawl out of my skin. i ended up doing a yoga game with my youngest and that helped. i am not sure which poses ended up working as the game has about 12, and we did them all. but i did the game with him for about a week and it really helped.

h

[APMama04]

Originally Posted by mamaofthree

during one of my pregnancies i had the most horrid hip/pelvis pain. i honestly thought i was gonna crawl out of my skin. i ended up doing a yoga game with my youngest and that helped. i am not sure which poses ended up working as the game has about 12, and we did them all. but i did the game with him for about a week and it really helped.

h

Do you have a link for that game? I had horrible SPD my last pregnancy and it's already starting with this one for the past 2 weeks... and i'm not even at 20 weeks yet!

[mamaofthree]

it was the yoga garden game ( http://www.theyogagarden.com/Store.aspx )
i will see if i can find it (we just moved and are still unpacking. lol) and get a list of the poses. they are pretty simple because the game is for little kids. lol

h

[HeatherB]

It totally sounds like sacroiliac pain to me, or SI joint. I always said it was my hip, but my doc looked at me like I was nuts, since it was more in the buttocks. I have chronic problems with it now, but it absolutely got worse in my first pregnancy, and would recur earlier and earlier in subsequent ones. It's been MUCH better for me now with not only chiropractic treatment but a really excellent chiro who works on multiple modalities for me - she'll do massage, various types of adjustments, etc., and when I wasn't pg (it got to its worst between pregnancies), she could do muscle stim, ultrasound, etc. HUGE difference!

Anyway, in answer to your questions, YES, I'd say it's pregnancy-related. You may also be doing too much, especially considering the state of your pelvis, but that's hard to say. If you don't already have a great chiro, your MW might have a recommendation, and I'm sure you could call even before your appt.

There was recently a thread here in this forum with "sacroiliac" in the title... I did post some links to stretches that can help and a few tidbits on massage that you or a partner could do. Icing can also help calm the nerves.

I hope you get relief quickly!

[St. Margaret]

I'd get to a chiro stat. just in case. I had mild hip and leg pain with m last pregnancy, but this time it went from mild to sooooooooooooooooo painful, stuck in bed over a week hell, in just a few days. Chiro and PT are helping, but I wish I'd gone to the chiro sooner.

[Jenne]

A massage therapist may help too. I have similar sounding pain and mine is sciatica and has been much worse in the last 5 weeks or so. Massage helps immensely. Mine mainly hurts at night when I'm trying to sleep though.

Pain sucks! I hope you find relief and answers soon!

Jenne

[kayjay]

magnesium

I had awful hip pain when I was pregnant, but only at night. It would wake me up it was so bad.

It totally went away when I started taking magnesium. You could try it and see if it works for you. Steer clear of magnesium oxide because it's not absorbed well. Try a mag citrate or a chelated magnesium supplement.

[LadyCatherine185]

I looked up some anatomy pictures of the SI joint, and that is most definitely where I am feeling the pain. I ordered a yoga video (Shiva Rea's) from amazon, hoping that will help some. Even if it doesn't alleviate the pain, it should help me to excersize/strengthen my body without having to walk. I am just hoping and praying that it doesn't get too much worse, as I still have 3+ months to go, and a very active 2 year old!

I do not have a chiro, and money is a little tight right now, as our insurance is awful this time around and we're having to pay most of my prenatal care out of pocket. Thanks Heather for those massage suggestions, I will be sure to have DH working on me at least!

[VeganCupcake]

There's also a book that was recommended to me called Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy that has some really neat suggestions for strengthening the muscles that support the pelvis. They're very different from what's usually suggested.

[LadyCatherine185]

ok, did more looking.. doesn't seem to be the SI joint after all.... I am not feeling the pain in my back/above my buttox like the pictures suggest.


It seems to be more located where the Articular Capsule of the Hip joint is in this picture below---
http://www.pudendal.info/node/img/Pe...RearFemale.jpg

[HeatherB]

So it's more on the side than back? The massage techniques along the side of the leg may still help with that. (I think I described the one where you rub from hip to knee as you pull your knee up to your chest while laying on your side or stomach.) I get some pain there at the hip but most of mine is SI. It can vary a lot, though! And all the ligaments are SO interrelated!

I hope you find some relief, one way or another!

[LadyCatherine185]

It is in the back, but on the side.. does that make sense? Most of the pictures I saw for SI joint pain was lower back pain, above the buttox. Mine is below and to the right side. Like where my leg bone meets my pelvis bone.... but anyway, one of those joints in there seems to be having a rough time.

[HeatherB]

Eh, I have some right at the top of the buttocks, but my main spot is low to low-outside. But I do know there are various issues for me, including ligaments all over the place, muscles, and joints. Sigh.

[LadyCatherine185]

low to low/outside could definitely describe the place I'm feeling the pain. like sort of in the middle of my buttox.

[HeatherB]

Have you tried some of the stretching, like when you bend your leg (the hurting one) with foot over other knee, then lean forward over it? That stretch usually feels really good for me and should cover most of the area. You can't go wrong with ice, too. I would definitely try treating it as SI joint and see if that helps!