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Pain during pregnancy is common, but shouldn’t be considered ‘normal’.
I think a lot of women feel like pain is something they have to grin and bear while pregnant, but there’s lots you can do to relieve pain and help you feel more comfortable.
During pregnancy your body undergoes huge change, as it produces more hormones including oestrogen and progesterone, and physically grows as the baby develops.
As your baby grows in the womb, your body gains weight which causes your centre of gravity to change. This will also affect where you carry the load in your pelvis.
The pelvis is a strong and stable structure within your body, but it is also very sensitive, and small changes can have a big impact in terms of pain.
Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is an overarching term that encompasses lots of different types of pain around the pelvis during pregnancy. This happens in around 20% of pregnant women, and can be at the front or back of the pelvis, in the pubic symphysis, around the sacroiliac joint area, perineal region, or in the hips or groin.
PGP can be aggravated by asymmetrical activities and loading, standing on one leg, getting out of or rolling over in bed, getting dressed, and walking on uneven surfaces or for prolonged periods of time.
Women may also experience lumbopelvic pain which can be caused by baby position, hormonal changes throughout pregnancy, or when your body stretches to support your bump and puts more strain on the structures surrounding your back.
You may also experience rib or thoracic pain as your ribcage expands to accommodate your growing baby, or mild stomach cramps similar to period pains as your womb gets bigger.
Pregnancy related pain doesn’t have to be localised around your bump. Carpal tunnel syndrome is common in pregnancy as maternal blood volume can increase by 45%, which increases fluid and swelling within the body and can cause compression of the median nerve in the wrist. Carpal tunnel syndrome can present as pain, pins and needles, numbness or change of sensation in the hand, and may be particularly noticeable at nighttime.
It sounds like a long list of areas that can be susceptible to pain or discomfort, but while it might make it harder for you to get around, it’s usually nothing to worry about. However it's important to listen to your body and if it’s telling you that something isn’t right, speak to your midwife who can help reassure you or advise if you need to be checked out.
You should be given some general advice by your midwife or GP to help manage common pregnancy-related pain, but if you are looking for additional support then a specialist Women’s Health Physiotherapist can make a huge difference.
Women’s Health Physios are specially trained to support women through all stages of life and have an excellent understanding of the biological changes that occur during pregnancy, and how this may be affecting you. We will provide tailored support based around your individual goals and needs, and can offer the right advice and treatment to keep your pain to a minimum and help avoid long-term discomfort.
During a Prenatal Women’s Health appointment, your physiotherapist will conduct a thorough physical exam and assess any pregnancy-related aches and pains you are experiencing. They’ll work with you to identify the cause of the pain, which is really important because people often feel compensatory pain elsewhere.
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Your physio will create a tailor-made treatment plan that could consist of manual treatment or massage, release techniques, exercise, and more. We can guide you on simple steps to help manage and reduce pain, including how to sleep with a pillow between your knees, pace your daily activities, and use heat packs, pelvic belts, and taping.
Exercise can really help to reduce pain during pregnancy by strengthening muscles around the pelvis and back to better support your growing body, and by improving your ability to tolerate load. Some women understandably feel nervous about exercising while pregnant, but a specialist Women’s Health Physiotherapist can provide advice on safe exercise during pregnancy, and modifications to your current exercise routine.
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We can also assess your pelvic floor strength and give tips to make sure you are correctly engaging and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles, provide advice on pregnancy support garments including belts, braces and support shorts, and can help you prepare for labour and birth, whether vaginal or caesarean section.
My main advice would be that if you start to experience pain, get it treated early on to prevent it from manifesting or getting worse. Trying to push through pain can sometimes exacerbate the problem, but if you address it early on it’s easier to manage and prevent from deteriorating. It’s one of the benefits of booking a private appointment, as you can see a specialist straight away.
At Six Physio we offer a range of services that provide invaluable support to women throughout their pregnancy. Whether it’s a Pre-natal Assessment as part of a Women’s Health appointment, a SixNatal exercise class specifically for mums-to-be, or our pregnancy-friendly machined-based Pilates classes for people of all abilities.
Every woman is different and we all experience pain differently. Petite women with a narrow pelvis may feel the changes more intensely than somebody with a wider pelvis. And if you already suffer from low back pain, or have experienced pain in previous pregnancies, you may be predisposed to the same type of pain if you are expecting another baby.
Pregnancy can be both physically and mentally challenging, but getting the right support and reassurance from a trained expert can really help to improve your overall experience.
If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), you probably know that there are certain foods and nutrients that become especially important once you’re pregnant. But nutrition plays a vital role even when trying to conceive, much like laying a strong foundation before constructing a house.
Certain nutrients create that foundation by supporting egg and sperm health (yes, nutrition matters for both partners), hormone balance and creating a hospitable environment for a fertilized egg to implant. In fact, studies show that certain nutrients can help increase fertility and improve success rates for both natural conception and fertility treatments.
In other words, nutrition is a key player in the TTC journey, but getting the right nutrients in the right quantities can be tricky. That’s where supplements come in. Just as you’d take a multivitamin to fill in nutritional gaps for optimal health, fertility supplements can give you that extra nutrient boost.
Choosing supplements for your fertility journey
When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.
When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.
Clare Turnbull is a Women’s Health Physiotherapist at Six Physio who has undertaken advanced pelvic health training and enjoys helping women to achieve their goals and stay active through all stages of life.
