Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain
What is pelvic girdle pain (PGP)?
PGP describes pain anywhere around your pelvis - over the front, at the back or at the sides of your pelvis. It can sometimes cause:
- difficulty walking
- pain when you stand on one leg e.g climbing stairs, dressing or getting out of the bath
- pain and/or difficulty getting in the car
- harmless clicking or a grinding sound in the pelvic area
- difficulty lying in some positions or turning over in bed
- pain doing everyday activities
- pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse
What causes PGP?
PGP is not caused by a hormone that loosens the pelvic joints. Your pelvis stays strong and stable during pregnancy and childbirth. However pregnancy can increase our sensitivity to and awareness of what’s happening in our bodies, especially around the pelvis, and can cause our bodies to react in a more protective way. This might result in tight muscles or restricted, painful movement.
How to manage PGP
If your daily activities do not increase your pain, or if your pain has improved after treatment some of the following advice may not apply to you.
Here are some simple steps to reduce pain and the amount of attention the brain gives to one area of the body.
Try to get 7 to 9 hours sleep and if you don’t sleep enough at night, try to catch up with a short daytime nap (a challenge if you have young children).
Drink plenty of water as this also helps to reduce other pregnancy challenges, such as constipation, headaches and cramps.
Deep breathing exercises Holding your breath when moving sometimes causes unnecessary muscle tension. This can add to discomfort around your lower back or pelvis. If anxious, deep breathing can help you feel calmer, lessen muscle tension and bring an improved sense of wellbeing.
Breathe in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to keep your shoulders down and relaxed, and place your hand on your stomach – it should rise as you breathe in and fall as you breathe out. Do this for 2 to 3 minutes at a time, in any comfortable position.
Movement and exercise
Keep moving! Focus on movement that does not aggravate your pain. Movement reduces pain and improves how our body functions. If you find that your movement is better when you are less tired, exercise at a time of the day that might feel more comfortable. If an exercise is causing discomfort, try a different exercise such as swimming, antenatal yoga or pilates, or gym exercises. We do not recommend taking up new high-impact sporting activities in pregnancy.
You can find exercises we found helpful in managing PGP below.
Pelvic floor exercises encourage circulation around the pelvis which will reduce your body’s pain response. Getting your pelvic floor working well also helps with your labour and reduces PGP after the birth. As you change from sitting to standing or turnover in bed, try to gently squeeze your pelvic floor muscle first. You’ll find lots of helpful pelvic floor exercises in the videos below.
The videos below offer advice and exercises for pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain.
The guided exercises encourage gentle movement and strengthening, to help you ease symptoms and stay active throughout your pregnancy.
The videos progress from the easiest to the more advanced gentle strengthening. In the last three videos you will find some gentle stretching exercises.
We advise you to complete the exercises for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement in your symptoms or if your symptoms worsen, please talk to your midwife or GP.