Hip pain anyone?

[GreenMommy]

I have the most horrible hip pain - all day - but worse in the evening. Feels like I have some crazy tightness and it just kills. Makes my legs hurt. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Did not have this at all with ds.

Thanks - I have not been able to find any ideas online...

Alicia

[Persephone]

I attempted to reply earlier, but the internet ate my post. I don't know if it's the same thing, but I have had horrible lower back pain, shooting down into the backs of my thighs. It's worse at night, and it's so debilitating, I can hardly walk. It seems to happen if I lay down. I don't know what causes it though, or how to make it better. :(

[ehsclt]

My guess would be that your hip pain might be caused by Relaxin and restructuring in your joints based on new flexibility. My new prenatal yoga instructor talked a lot our first night about Relaxin and the changes it brings in your body. I went for a run last night and my hips have been sore since. My guess in my case is that my joints are changing and having things in new places is what causes the soreness. I think yoga poses are pretty helpful.

[AAK]

If you have a chiropractor, make an appointment. I had horrible hip pain with Anna, not much with Kayla, and this time it started up again. I didn't know how effective chiropractic care was when I was pg with Anna or I would have tried it (it got so bad I literally could barely walk--I went to physical therapy for it). This time around, I knew about chiropractic care and made an appt. Can't say enough good things about it. The pain comes back after a couple weeks but not nearly as bad and I make another appt. Another bonus is that pg women who have chiropractic care often have well positioned babies. If you can find a chiropractor who specializes in pg care or is certified in the webster techniquie, go with that one.

Amy

[Stargirl]

If it is pain that is shooting down your leg, it might be sciatica. Otherwise, it might be a nerve being irritated by your shifting pelvis. I have intense hip pain that wakes me up at night. Totally fine during the day. I am seeing a chiropractor and so far so good.

Best of luck!
~Stargirl

[Nature]

Call a chiro! Most likely its related to your SI joint. Like others said, if the pain shoots down one leg and your butt, then its sciatica. If not, and its concentrated on your hips, butt, or tailbone.. then its probably due to joints losening too much. My twice monthly visits to the chiro keep me on my feet! The pain is still pretty bad some days, but SO MUCH better than it was before I started going.

[Jeanne_L]

I've been having a pain in my butt ;) too. It's just on the left side, and it's really bad first things in the morning. Yesterday when I put my weight on that leg to put on my pants, I almost collapsed from the intensity of the pain. If I walk for a bit it seems to settle out and get better.
All of the endorsements for chiropractors is encouraging. Maybe I'll try to find one near me and see if it helps. How much do they normally cost?

[Persephone]

I told the chiro (I've been once, and he popped my hips) that I thought it was sciatica, but he said that unless it was perfectly centered, that it's really rare for sciatic pain to be in both legs. (I still think it might be sciatica, in my case. But the pain is in two legs.)

[beachcomber]

It could be posterior pelvic pain (http://www.babycentre.co.uk/refcap/564618.html) or it could be symphysis pubis dysfunction (http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/pubicpain.htm), depending on where you're feeling the pain. PPP is pain at the back of the pelvis. SPD is pain more on the pubis - so near the front and low down.

I have PPP and it's been a bear to deal with. It first hit around 8 weeks and has been fairly constant since then. It hurts at the back of my pelvis just a bit to the left side. Sharp pain right there triggered by movement and then a resulting ache that radiates down the back of both legs. I've done a fair bit of research on it and determined that about the only way to handle it is through chiropractics or physiotherapy. If you choose to see a chiropracter, ensure that they are trained in handling pregnant clients and are familiar with the various pelvic pain syndromes in pregnancy. PPP makes walking, standing from a sitting position, climbing stairs, walking on uneven ground or down inclines, any kind of lifting, etc. painful. It also makes rolling over in bed quite painful. Exercise doesn't make it better but usually just exacerbates it.

That was probably way TMI. Sorry. It's something I'm obviously pretty interested in right now. :D

eta:

Persephone,

From my research, I've found that rarely is pelvic pain cases in pregnancy actually sciatica. It's most often PPP. I thought that was interesting because just about everyone I've told about my pain has told me I have sciatica. But I don't have the symptoms and the actual possibility is quite small. I think it's a very common pregnancy myth, actually.

From the PPP link: Pain at the back of the pelvis is known as Posterior Pelvic Pain or sometimes referred to as Sacro-Iliac Joint (SIJ) pain. Posterior Pelvic Pain is often confused with or misdiagnosed as sciatica (http://www.babycentre.co.uk/refcap/546397.html) . Sciatica is caused by inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve as it leaves the spine. This may be caused by a damaged disc or by pressure from surrounding joints or ligaments. Research shows that only one per cent of women, on average, suffer from this during pregnancy. It is certainly not more likely to occur as a result of pregnancy. We now know that the majority of women who suffer from significant lower back or leg pain in pregnancy suffer from Posterior Pelvic Pain.

[Persephone]

beachcomber, I checked out your links, and I think you're right! It DOES seem more like PPP than sciatica. Esp. since I have no numbness or any tingling. It's worse after I've been lying down. And rolling over in bed is a bear! And I see that I've been doing some things that can make it worse (hanging out on the couch too much! :bag:) I googled PPP and the diagrams I saw there have reaffirmed that's what it is! Thank goodness I know now! :)

[GreenMommy]

Thanks all - I made a chiropractor appt for tomorrow am and bought a heating pad and body pillow.

Hopefully this will go away. I called my mw - she said drink more water and take hot baths too.

[bluets]

BTDT with the PPP. I've been in physical therapy for 2.5 months now though it took 3 doctor visits to convince someone that I actually needed PT. (In Indiana, you need a doctor's script to get a PT visit). The trick with physical therapy is that you need to find someone who has experience dealing with these problems. There is an international organization of physical therapists that also has a section on women's health, if you're trying to find someone in your area. Just be aware that belonging to the org is mucho $$ (according to my PT) so the person who might be able to help you out may not be listed in their directory.

Recovering from PPP is very slow. We started with leg stretches, pelvic tilts and kegels. I'm now working on inner thigh (woohoo - doing the traditional inner thigh raises on the floor, I can now lift my leg 3 inches off the floor!) and abs. I still can't walk too fast or I get searing pain across the front of my pelvis. I still have serious muscle spasms through my inner thigh.

BTW, my physical therapist says that she often does help out pregnant women, so you might consider looking around now to nip the problem in the bud, so to speak.

[beachcomber]

Persephone, I'm glad my links helped. Heh. I hope you get some relief.

GreenMommy, let us know how things go with the chiro and stuff. I hope it works well for you.

Today's been a bad day for me, pain-wise. I was walking across campus for coffee this morning and -twang!- went my hip. I've been limping and in pain since. Phooey. I have an appointment with my GP for a referral to physio this coming Thursday. I just hope I can make it that long!