Are you pregnant and in pain around your pelvis?

Ante post natal Pilates

Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) is a condition that is very common during pregnancy affecting 1 in 4 women.

Symptoms often include:

Pain to the front (Pubic symphsis joint) or back of the pelvis (Sacroiliac Joint) Difficulty walking, taking stairs, standing on one leg, lying or rolling over in bed Can physiotherapy treatment help to improve your symptoms during and after pregnancy? Usually PGP is a mechanical problem affecting the joints and muscles in the pelvis. Often one of the SI joints at the back becomes slightly stuck and the joints in the pelvis start to move asymmetrically putting extra strain on the other tissues. By treating the stiff joint with manual therapy by a physiotherapist, it can relieve the pain and allow the pelvic joints to function normally again.

I have PGP, what should I do next?

It is important to find a knowledgeable physiotherapist with specialist experience in the treatment of PGP with manual therapy. Our women’s health physiotherapists at Milltown Physiotherapy have all undertaken postgraduate training in the treatment of PGP and have a wealth of experience in this area. 

Why should I take action early?

The sooner you are treated the better the likely outcome. If everything is moving as well as possible (ie the joints are moving symmetrically) before the birth, women usually find that the pain resolves quite quickly afterwards. It is rarely too late to improve symptoms. However, if you still have symptoms after you have your baby this is still treatable. As is the case before the birth, the sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you are likely to make a recovery. 

What should I expect from a treatment?

Your physiotherapist will use a combination of joint realignment or mobilisation and soft tissue or muscle release techniques. It is not usually painful and you should expect to feel an improvement after each treatment. You may be given gentle exercises to improve pelvic stability and as you recover these are adapted individually to help you get back to normal. Ante-natal and post-natal pilates is also effective in improving and maintaining the pelvic stability muscles to help reduce symptoms of PGP.  www.milltownphysiotherapy.com/team/Women’s Health Physiotherapists for PGP: Elaine Barry, Stephanie Crossland, Sarah Mullins, Helen MacDevitt, Mary McGuinness, Suzanne Skelton.