Physical Therapy

I think I have mentioned this through another post, and I know I have made a point to tell all my mom friends about it as well, however, I wanted to give this proper attention through a full post.  My pain is exclusive to SI joint pain, so this may not be applicable if your pain is hip related or due to another alignment issue, however, I would recommend you be diligent in your search for a cure.

Most pregnant women experience some sort of back pain, and it is considered incredibly normal, though incredibly painful.  We all are told from our reading that the hormones your body releases causes ligaments to relax and allows your sacrum, which is usually locked and stable to shift as well.  I started to experience some of this pain right around the end of September, and it progressively got worse.  I was told I could take Tylenol for the pain, and just apply heat or ice.  Even though Tylenol is considered safe, I have not taken any throughout the pregnancy.  I continued with my regular exercise routine and just dealt with the pain until December, and at that point, it was just so bad that I was crying once a week or so from the pain.  So, I demanded to see a physical therapist from my doctor - they wrote the script and I had my first visit in January.

They did an evaluation, and while SI joint pain is common during pregnancy, there are definitely some ways to prevent the pain by strengthening the lower back and glute area to ensure proper support of the ligaments and joints.  They noticed I also had a rotation of my sacrum which was pulling on all of the muscles on my left side and thus tightening them beyond what they should be.  All of this equaled pain at present, and was only going to lead to more pain, so luckily I was looking for correction.

The therapist recommended about 12 exercises which I still do, and am meant to do even after the baby comes.  This therapy has pretty much eradicated the back pain and I have no problems turning over at night, standing on one leg, standing for extended periods, etc.  It is so amazing, so if you have this isolated area pain, talk to your doctor and see a physical therapist - I can't promise it will help your situation, but don't settle for the answers of "it will go away after the baby," or "just take some Tylenol for the pain." Those are not acceptable treatment options.