Pelvic Girdle Pain is something that can be treated.

The pelvic girdle is a ring of bones around your body at the base of your spine. PGP is pain in the front and/or the back of your pelvis that can also affect other areas such as the hips or thighs. It can affect the sacroiliac joints at the back and/or the symphysis pubis joint at the front. You may have heard of symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), which is what PGP used to be called.

This common condition affects 50% of pregnant women and causes pain in the back of the pelvis and/or over the side of the hips.

For most women, early diagnosis and treatment should stop symptoms from getting worse, relieve your pain and help you continue with your normal everyday activities. If you’re pregnant, do not accept that you have to suffer SGP as part of your pregnancy. Come and talk to one of our womens health specialists, or book in with your GP before the pain becomes established. One of our womens health physios will examine you to determine the cause of the pain and give effective treatment, advice support where necessary.

This is something that can be treated successfully, with good return to function and exercise for most women.

Tips to help you avoid suffering with SGP:

  1. Seek advice on avoiding movements that may be aggravating the pain. If you come to tops:health, one of our physiotherapists will give you advice on the best positions for movement and rest and how to pace your activities to lessen your pain.
  2. Perform exercises that should help relieve your pain and allow you to move around more easily. They should also strengthen your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to improve your balance and posture and make your spine more stable.
  3. Seek manual therapy (hands-on treatment) to the muscles and joints by a physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropractor who specialises in PGP in pregnancy. This should not be painful.
  4. Maintain good posture when sitting and standing
  5. Side lying sleeping -use pillows between the knees
  6. Do not push through pain, seek help early
  7. You could also try: 
    1. warm baths
    2. heat or ice packs
    3. hydrotherapy
    4. acupuncture
    5. a support belt or crutches.

Our professional physiotherapists will be empathetic and sensitive when assessing and providing advice and treatment.