SPD and work

[artsy fartsy]

I have been having an awful pain in my pelvis that has been getting increasingly worse.  My midwife believes it's symphysis pubis dysfunction, and all the symptoms fit, except I don't have a clicking sound.  But I'm getting almost no sleep because my sleep is constantly interrupted by pain.  It's extremely painful to walk.  I also have a desk job that requires me to work sometimes 12-14 hours a day, and by the end of the day, I can't stand up without being in excruciating pain.  I've taken so many sick days that any time off now would have to be under my company's short term disability policy.  My midwife has suggested I try working from home, but that's not really possible with my job.  For some reason, she's uncomfortable filling out the short term disability forms since she's not recommending bed rest.  She's fine writing a letter to my HR department saying I shouldn't sit for periods of time, but doesn't believe that I can't actually work, since my job is intellectual.  

Has anyone used short term disability for SPD?  At this point, I'm thinking of quitting my job because it's just too painful to sit at a desk every day.  I've done everything I've been told.  Gone to the chiro, wearing a brace, icing the area, being very careful not to ever separate my legs, but now I'm at a loss what to do.  Advice?

[L'lee]

I don't have any experience with dealing with this at work, but I'm sorry to hear you have to go through this!

I have what I consider SPD, also, but no clicking, just pain. I also get very sore and stiff after being still too long, and sometimes in the morning or overnight when I have to get up.

I think it would help if you are able to move around regularly, maybe you can get some sort of note that you need to walk around for 5 minutes every 2 hours or something like that (or could you just do that yourself?) - that's just better for our bodies than sitting for such long periods even when we're NOT pregnant! I'm sure it doesn't help that you work such long hours! I like your midwife's idea of working from home, it's too bad you can't do that. Is it that they won't let you, or you prefer to be in the office?

I guess things I'd be considering are the consequences of quitting vs the consequences of staying:

- do you expect to return to work after the baby is born? if not, then it's not as big a deal to quit your job. if you are, then will they be letting you work less hours, and if so, why not start that now?

- do you get health insurance from your job that you would have troubles without?

- would it put you in a tight spot financially if you quit now instead of later?

Sorry to hear you're in such pain! I hope you can figure out the best option for your situation!

[BeanSprout Mama]

Have you tried a pelvic brace?  If you search for "maternity support brace" on amazon there are tons. I had horrible SPD pain with my last pregnancy and bought one of these, and it helped so much. I have it set aside for when I need it with this pregnancy too.  I was very skeptical that a band of elastic would really help but for me it was a lifesaver. I am a nurse and work similar hours - my shifts are mostly on my feet, but I don't think I could have worked through my whole pregnancy if I hadn't discovered the support brace.

[falafala]

When you went to a chiro was it one who specialized in pregnancy? I went to one and got no relief, and then found this site http://icpa4kids.org/Find-a-Chiropractor/ and went to a specialist. The difference was night and day! I was able to walk when I left (granted by the next day I hurt again) I went 3 x a week for about 2 months and it kept me going. Good luck

[vivica2]

i JST saw a post about this in the april 2012 thread. they said one chiropracter didn't work until the tried a pregnancy specialist chiro. i dont know anything about it, may be worth a look. good luck!

[jenrose]

Chiropractors sometimes use something called the "Shotgun technique" to pull the bones apart a little and snap them back into alignment. It works very quickly, but I think it can make for more instability, so it slips out again quickly.

I've been going to PT instead this time, and every week my PT bumps my hip back into place and it realigns my pelvic arch. Because he's doing this every week, it never gets terrible. Also, he was able to point out what direction things were slipping, and I was able to change some things. How I get into the car, how I sit on the couch, how I climb stairs, all tends to push the left side of the arch upwards, and so I have to counteract that in everything I do to encourage it to move the other direction. He's much gentler about the manipulations, and uses a modified adjustment if necessary to JUST move the pelvis in the direction it needs to go, rather than first making it worse. 

I've had doctors and midwives shrug their shoulders about both SPD and sciatica, and the stupid thing is that it doesn't have to be that way! They are FIXABLE. Maybe the fix won't last more than a few days, but you do not have to go on disability, etc. etc. just for these kinds of pain, they can be made less painful and more bearable with a half hour office visit with the right bodyworker. 

My PT doesn't know jack about pregnancy but has been working on me for years, and he knows how to work on my body to make it go back into alignment. (I have fibro and hypermobility issues anyway, so anything that can go wrong involving the pelvis slipping, usually does.)