Pelvic Health Physio Imogen Williams gives the lowdown on pelvic girdle pain

Hi! My name is Imogen and I’m a Pelvic Health Specialist Physiotherapist. I work within the NHS and also run a private pelvic health service at PhysioSpace in Pontcanna, Cardiff.

I’m delighted to write this guest blog for Rebecca at Cardiff Pregnancy Massage to explain more about pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and how pelvic health physiotherapy can help.

What is pelvic health physiotherapy?

It is a specialised form of physiotherapy that focuses on issues to do with the pelvis. This might be issues with the muscles and joints of the pelvis and also any issues with the pelvic floor muscles.

What is Pelvic Girdle Pain?

Pelvic girdle pain affects 1 in 5 pregnant women and can start at any time in pregnancy. It often presents as pain in your pubic bone, groin, hips, buttocks or tail bone. It can impact your ability to walk, turn over in bed, get dressed, climb stairs and many other physical activities which can feel really worrying.

What causes Pelvic Girdle Pain?

We used to think that this pain was caused by pregnancy hormones giving ‘too much flexibility’ and lack of support around the pelvis. Research is showing, however, that a change in muscle activity of the tummy, buttocks, inner thighs and pelvic floor are all contributing factors. Sometimes it may be due to the position of the baby. We also know that stress, worry, lack of social support, lack of job satisfaction and poor sleep, all make pelvic girdle pain more likely to occur and tackling some of these issues is really important in managing the symptoms.

When will my pelvic girdle pain symptoms improve?

Thankfully for the vast majority of women, the pain settles once they have delivered their baby but it can continue for a small proportion of women. Even better news is that symptoms can be improved while you are still pregnant. There are lots of things that can be done to improve the symptoms and getting advice and treatment early is really important. Don’t wait for things to become unbearable before you seek help.

How can I improve symptoms of my pelvic girdle pain?

• Sleep with a pillow between your knees at night

• Sit down when getting dressed to reduce standing on one leg if this is painful

• Try to stay active by finding exercise that you can manage without flaring up your symptoms

• Break up activities during the day with rest periods to pace yourself.

How can physiotherapy help?

A physiotherapy assessment will look at your posture, movement, strength and lifestyle factors. I will work with you to create a care plan to target your symptoms. Treatment plans vary depending on my assessment of your condition but will likely involve:

• Detailed advice and information

• Strengthening exercises

• Hands-on treatment

• Stretches

• Breath work

Where can I find more information about pelvic girdle pain?

Unfortunately there is a lot of outdated advice out there so it can be hard to know what to do. Here are some reliable sources for more information:

The POGP website has some brilliant downloadable leaflets available: https://thepogp.co.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/23697pogppelvic_girdle_pain.pdf

The Active Pregnancy Foundation has really good advice and downloadable leaflets on exercise and activities in pregnancy and beyond: https://www.activepregnancyfoundation.org

Your midwife can refer you to Pelvic Health Physiotherapy within the NHS - do not wait for the pain to become worse before seeking help. If you wish to go down the private route, I run a pelvic health physiotherapy service at PhysioSpace in Pontcanna: https://physiospace.co.uk/womens-health

Facebook: @ImogenWilliamsPhysio Instagram: @imogen_williams_physio Email: Imogen@physiospace.co.uk