Painful Bones Between Legs

[And then there was w\two]

I am having some serious pains in between my legs - mainly after I sit for a while and get up to walk. I am not sure what those particular bones are called - but they hurt. It is so painful to walk. I am 5 months pregnant with my 2nd child and thought maybe my body was preparing for labor - but dang - it hurts. I had NO pain whatsoever with my first. Does anyone have any answers for me? Thanks

[Trillian]

Hi. As pg progresses the relaxin hormone starts to kick in and make our ligaments get ready for the birth in some women this will be mild but in others it can get quite severe to the point of pelvic instability. Your pelvis starts to separate at the pubic bone (if you have a feel on your pelvic bone, right in the middle it may feel like there is a small gap). It is mighty unconfortable and even very painful, but unfortunately there isn't anything we can do about it. What we can do is to pay attention to how we move around to try to lessen the pain we feel. I found that sleeping with a thin pillow between my legs helped a lot, as did resting on all fours, with my head slightly down to get the baby to move up off the pelvic area.

HTH

[AnyDream]

The name for this is synthesis pubis dysfunction or pelvic laxity. It can range from mild through to debilitating, if it's problematic you can see a women's physio who will teach you how to walk and position yourself to stop it from getting worse, and exercises and support belts to lessen the pain. It was a shock to me in my second pg since I sailed through my first pg with no problems at all.

[cicada]

Hello Ladies

I am 28 weeks pregnant and developed a similar pain between my legs?but I know now that I have Pubic Symphysitis and understand that I am not alone!

I don't believe that there is "nothing" we can do - but agree with Marydean that you need to take steps (or avoid them!) to try and minimise the pain and basically change how you do everyday things. I now use lifts/escalators/ramps where possible, hobble around carefully and get on and off buses very slowly ? plus have my husband drive me to appointments and walk down stairs sidewards.

These are things I had never thought I would have to do - I am finding it quite distressing. I have only had the condition for about three weeks now - and I only hope it does not get worse. There are some things you can do!

I urge you to see a phsyio who specialises in pregnancy ? I have one in Sydney. Plus I have found a website for an organisation based in Melbourne -http://www.pelvicinstability.org.au/ - which is dedicated to supporting women with pregnancy related pelvic instability. I read some of their members? stories which are quite scary ? but realise I need to adjust my approach to everyday tasks and perhaps stop working a bit earlier that I had thought.

I am not sure what will happen next ? I hope I can minimise the discomfort but feel that for women who experience this that there is more to be done that just ?live with it? ? it is more that we have accept and acknowledge it and tailor what we do around it so it can be managed.

I have come to the conclusion that I just have to stop or I will get worse ? I am the only one who can manage this condition. It would be great to hear from any other bellybelly women on how they have managed the condition?

This is my story so far (bit long but thought I would share).....

I had been attending prenatal yoga classes with a very switched on midwife who would go through a list of "conditions" that she needed to know if anyone had - one she always mentioned was Pubic Symphasitis. I started yoga at 18 weeks (just before Christmas), with no pain whatsoever. I had stopped work (been made redundant just before Christmas) and spent the first few weeks of the new year doing all the things I was going to do to get fitter - swimming (breaststroke), walking and being very busy as we were doing home renovations. I then landed a contract job which involved catching a ferry to and from work - so lots of stairs to and from the ferry plus a 20 minute walk downhill after work each day. Great I thought. Getting exercise and working - just what I needed.

About two weeks later (so about three weeks ago) I started having a vague discomfort on the left side of my groin when I was walking down to the ferry - I thought my pajamas were perhaps getting a bit tight and I had some chaffing which was being aggravated when walking. I went to a couple of concerts as part of the Sydney Festival and felt very "uncomfortable" sitting - went to the bathroom at interval to remove my pantyhose and kept moving around in my seat.

Yoga resumed on Australia Day, and I was very sore and could not get comfortable. I went up to the teacher (also a midwife and pregnancy educator) and asked her about Pubic Symphasitis - she said she had been watching me and suspected I had this.

She gave me the name of a physio who I made an appointment to see the following week. I then rang the office of my OB ? and the receptionist, who is very caring and involved, said I needed to see a particular physio ? the same one I had made the appointment with.

The physio asked to see me and my husband (James), diagnosed Pubic Symphastis and gave me a set of exercises to do and showed James some points where he was to apply a heat pad and then do targeted hard massage for 30 seconds every day. He has been great and does these every night before I go to bed. I have ?x? marks the spot on my lower back and buttocks with permanent pen ? very attractive! I had a support belt fitted. I have discovered that anything that makes your pelvis separate should be avoided - so basically everything I had been doing - breastroke, walking, stairs.....

Having a fire alarm go off at work and walking down 12 flights of stairs the next day however did not really help!!!! Was a bit sore for a few days but thought it would go away. Went back to see the physio on the Wednesday ? she said I was doing well and was lucky to have James able to do the 30 second massages each night. She also suggested acupuncture which I have had before.

This last week however has been very hard ? and I realise that I have made it worse. I need to stop certain things I have been doing or I will end up on crutches or worse still a wheelchair until our baby is born.

Basically I spent last weekend driving around (we are in the middle of renovating our only bathroom so went out shopping for taps and tiles!), then spent several hours on each day shopping for new clothes (as I cannot fit into anything) and even went to church (kneeling and all!). I then drove to get some acupuncture.

Saw the physio again on the Monday afternoon and was in a lot of pain - she said that driving my manual car and walking around had probably just aggravated the symptoms so she tapped my back.

I continued to catch the ferry ? but had started walking more slowly and going down the stairs sideward, On Tuesday night I (stupidly) worked very late (past midnight) sitting at the computer getting more and more uncomfortable with my feet swelling up and was very tired and sore the next morning.

Due to the increasing pain I had now started avoiding stairs where possible ? using ramps and catching buses - but on Wednesday morning I missed the lip of the ramp and went over on my left leg ? didn?t really hurt myself, but think I have jarred my pelvis (just what I needed).

I was in tears by the time I got home on Wednesday evening, and found it difficult to get in and out of bed. James made me tea and I put and ice pack between my legs.

On Thursday was in agony but didn?t really want to let on to work what was going through and tried to bravely battle on ? but when I got up from the chair at work I could feel my pelvis lock and I basically could not move my legs for a few seconds, and when I did the shooting pain was extreme.

By now I had started using the disabled lift in the plaza outside of the building I am wokring in to avoid unnecessary stairs (it only goes one level to avoid 20 stairs but it helps).

I then caught the train to see my acupuncturist again on Thursday evening ? I had to change trains in peak hour and was in tears on the train as I was in pain and had everyone pushing me. My acupuncturist read me the riot act and said I would be on crutches or in hospital on pain killers if I did not stop.

On Friday we drove to a different ferry stop to one which does not have stairs (I had rung the local council to see if I could get permission to park closer to the ferry nearer home which is three kilometres away and was basically told they would not help me).

I went to work yesterday but ended up in tears again trying to get home ? the bus to the ferry went early and whizzed past me, so I caught a taxi to the ferry. I only have another week to go at work, and have agreed with them that I will work from home on Monday.

I feel so useless and am having to rely on my husband to do all the shopping etc and he is being wonderful about it.

I hope that it will stabilise but am terrified that I will end up on crutches ? but only time will tell?

[cicada]

Hello Ladies

I am 28 weeks pregnant and developed a similar pain between my legs?but I know now that I have Pubic Symphysitis and understand that I am not alone!

I don't believe that there is "nothing" we can do - but agree with Marydean that you need to take steps (or avoid them!) to try and minimise the pain and basically change how you do everyday things. I now use lifts/escalators/ramps where possible, hobble around carefully and get on and off buses very slowly ? plus have my husband drive me to appointments and walk down stairs sidewards.

These are things I had never thought I would have to do - I am finding it quite distressing. I have only had the condition for about three weeks now - and I only hope it does not get worse. There are some things you can do!

I urge you to see a phsyio who specialises in pregnancy ? I have one in Sydney. Plus I have found a website for an organisation based in Melbourne -http://www.pelvicinstability.org.au/ - which is dedicated to supporting women with pregnancy related pelvic instability. I read some of their members? stories which are quite scary ? but realise I need to adjust my approach to everyday tasks and perhaps stop working a bit earlier that I had thought.

I am not sure what will happen next ? I hope I can minimise the discomfort but feel that for women who experience this that there is more to be done that just ?live with it? ? it is more that we have accept and acknowledge it and tailor what we do around it so it can be managed.

I have come to the conclusion that I just have to stop or I will get worse ? I am the only one who can manage this condition. It would be great to hear from any other bellybelly women on how they have managed the condition?

This is my story so far (bit long but thought I would share).....

I had been attending prenatal yoga classes with a very switched on midwife who would go through a list of "conditions" that she needed to know if anyone had - one she always mentioned was Pubic Symphasitis. I started yoga at 18 weeks (just before Christmas), with no pain whatsoever. I had stopped work (been made redundant just before Christmas) and spent the first few weeks of the new year doing all the things I was going to do to get fitter - swimming (breaststroke), walking and being very busy as we were doing home renovations. I then landed a contract job which involved catching a ferry to and from work - so lots of stairs to and from the ferry plus a 20 minute walk downhill after work each day. Great I thought. Getting exercise and working - just what I needed.

About two weeks later (so about three weeks ago) I started having a vague discomfort on the left side of my groin when I was walking down to the ferry - I thought my pajamas were perhaps getting a bit tight and I had some chaffing which was being aggravated when walking. I went to a couple of concerts as part of the Sydney Festival and felt very "uncomfortable" sitting - went to the bathroom at interval to remove my pantyhose and kept moving around in my seat.

Yoga resumed on Australia Day, and I was very sore and could not get comfortable. I went up to the teacher (also a midwife and pregnancy educator) and asked her about Pubic Symphasitis - she said she had been watching me and suspected I had this.

She gave me the name of a physio who I made an appointment to see the following week. I then rang the office of my OB ? and the receptionist, who is very caring and involved, said I needed to see a particular physio ? the same one I had made the appointment with.

The physio asked to see me and my husband (James), diagnosed Pubic Symphastis and gave me a set of exercises to do and showed James some points where he was to apply a heat pad and then do targeted hard massage for 30 seconds every day. He has been great and does these every night before I go to bed. I have ?x? marks the spot on my lower back and buttocks with permanent pen ? very attractive! I had a support belt fitted. I have discovered that anything that makes your pelvis separate should be avoided - so basically everything I had been doing - breastroke, walking, stairs.....

Having a fire alarm go off at work and walking down 12 flights of stairs the next day however did not really help!!!! Was a bit sore for a few days but thought it would go away. Went back to see the physio on the Wednesday ? she said I was doing well and was lucky to have James able to do the 30 second massages each night. She also suggested acupuncture which I have had before.

This last week however has been very hard ? and I realise that I have made it worse. I need to stop certain things I have been doing or I will end up on crutches or worse still a wheelchair until our baby is born.

Basically I spent last weekend driving around (we are in the middle of renovating our only bathroom so went out shopping for taps and tiles!), then spent several hours on each day shopping for new clothes (as I cannot fit into anything) and even went to church (kneeling and all!). I then drove to get some acupuncture.

Saw the physio again on the Monday afternoon and was in a lot of pain - she said that driving my manual car and walking around had probably just aggravated the symptoms so she tapped my back.

I continued to catch the ferry ? but had started walking more slowly and going down the stairs sideward, On Tuesday night I (stupidly) worked very late (past midnight) sitting at the computer getting more and more uncomfortable with my feet swelling up and was very tired and sore the next morning.

Due to the increasing pain I had now started avoiding stairs where possible ? using ramps and catching buses - but on Wednesday morning I missed the lip of the ramp and went over on my left leg ? didn?t really hurt myself, but think I have jarred my pelvis (just what I needed).

I was in tears by the time I got home on Wednesday evening, and found it difficult to get in and out of bed. James made me tea and I put and ice pack between my legs.

On Thursday was in agony but didn?t really want to let on to work what was going through and tried to bravely battle on ? but when I got up from the chair at work I could feel my pelvis lock and I basically could not move my legs for a few seconds, and when I did the shooting pain was extreme.

By now I had started using the disabled lift in the plaza outside of the building I am wokring in to avoid unnecessary stairs (it only goes one level to avoid 20 stairs but it helps).

I then caught the train to see my acupuncturist again on Thursday evening ? I had to change trains in peak hour and was in tears on the train as I was in pain and had everyone pushing me. My acupuncturist read me the riot act and said I would be on crutches or in hospital on pain killers if I did not stop.

On Friday we drove to a different ferry stop to one which does not have stairs (I had rung the local council to see if I could get permission to park closer to the ferry nearer home which is three kilometres away and was basically told they would not help me).

I went to work yesterday but ended up in tears again trying to get home ? the bus to the ferry went early and whizzed past me, so I caught a taxi to the ferry. I only have another week to go at work, and have agreed with them that I will work from home on Monday.

I feel so useless and am having to rely on my husband to do all the shopping etc and he is being wonderful about it.

I hope that it will stabilise but am terrified that I will end up on crutches ? but only time will tell?

I am still in pain today but hope that by not moving around to much it will help. Our baby keeps kicking and gurgling inside me, so I know that the pain will be worth it!

[cicada]

First - sorry for the double post yesterday....

I had accupuncture again yesterday after resting for a couple of days and feel in much less pain now - just thought I would let you know.....

I just have to remember to take things easier!

[Caz1971]

I def. have this condition. I asked the dr today and he goes oh one of those things and cos I had a c-section before. What baloney. After googling Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction - I def. have the symptoms. Im going to ring the midwives tom. and ask them.

Its like a stabbing pain the groin area, you can't walk!

[SallyBelly]

Yay! Just discovered that I'm not making it up when I say to my husband/doctor/mum/friends that I feel like I've pulled my groin muscles to the point of not being able to walk!

Now that I know what it is after reading this thread, I know those pregnancy hormones haven't driven me completely mad!

This is my 2nd pregnancy, natural birth for the first - never had this pain with the first pregnancy. Have had it since before Christmas & as I get ever closer to d-day, the pain intensifies. Only 11 days til d-day, hopefully this pain disappears immediately after I meet my little angel!!!