How to relieve pelvic pain in pregnant women

The body of a pregnant woman will undergo varying degrees of changes due to the development of the baby. In order to adapt to the baby's development, around the tenth week of pregnancy, the body will secrete a substance that promotes the range of motion of the sacroiliac joint and pubic bone, and even the sacrum will move posteriorly to increase the range of motion of the fetus. This process will cause pelvic pain and may also make it difficult for pregnant women to walk. You should take a rest at this time. Let’s find out.

What causes pelvic pain?

This kind of back pain is caused by the enlargement and bulging of the abdomen, which causes the body's center of gravity to shift backward and causes tension in the lower back muscles. It is a common symptom during pregnancy and is not a disease.

What symptoms can easily be confused with pelvic pain?

Pain caused by dense sacroiliitis

The reason for this kind of low back pain is: due to endocrine effects, tendons and ligaments relax, causing the sacroiliac joint to loosen and lose stability.

As a result, the sacroiliac joints are often abnormally irritated or damaged. Some doctors also believe that it is caused by local ischemia and osteoporosis of the sacroiliac joint during pregnancy. Pregnant mothers may feel pain in the lumbar region, which may sometimes radiate downward to the buttocks and thighs on both sides.

The human pelvis is composed of the sacrum, coccyx and left and right hip bones. The bones of the pelvis are connected by the pubic symphysis in the front of the pelvis and the sacroiliac joints, sacrococcygeal joints and two pairs of sacrotuberous ligaments and sacrospinous ligaments in the back. The pelvis, which is tightly surrounded by several bones, acts like a single bone. For women who are not yet pregnant, the pelvic joints are inactive and therefore pain does not occur. Once a woman is around 10 weeks pregnant, her ovaries secrete a substance called "relaxin", which makes the fibrous cartilage and ligaments of the sacroiliac joint and pubic symphysis become loose and soft, and the sacroiliac joint and pubic symphysis become wider and more mobile. By the late stages of pregnancy, the pubic symphysis widens by an average of 0.3-0.4 cm, and the sacrococcygeal joint moves posteriorly by up to 2 cm, to facilitate the fetus's passage through the bony birth canal during delivery. However, if the ligaments are too relaxed, the pubic symphysis will separate, the sacrum will not be able to fix the left and right iliac bones, and the pelvis will lack stability. When pregnant women walk, sit, go up and down stairs, or turn over, the bones of the pelvis will move separately, pulling on the fibrous cartilage and ligaments between the pubic bones, causing pain in the pubic and sacroiliac joints. In severe cases, the pain will radiate to the groin or perineum, and even make it difficult for pregnant women to move.

How to prevent pelvic pain?

Solution:

1. When standing, tilt your pelvis slightly, lift your upper body, drop your shoulders slightly backward, and avoid standing for long periods of time.

2. When sitting, your lower back should be comfortably against the chair back, and your upper body should be straight. Do not sit on a bench without support for a long time.

3. Relax your whole body when walking and do not wear high heels.

4. You can sleep in a curled-up side-lying position, and place a pillow under your knees when lying on your back.

5. If the pregnant mother has to stand for 4-5 hours a day and cannot bear the pain in the waist and pelvis, she may wish to use a waist belt during the day, which may have a good effect.