Hip Pain after Delivery
By: Tsou JinyeuTotal Views: 580, Word Count: 519,
Most new mothers experience hip pain after delivery of their child. There are many reasons behind this. To understand the exact reason of this pain, let us first focus on the hip joints and its working during delivery.
Hip Pain after Delivery
· The pelvis of every mother has two halves which are connected at the front by a stiff joint which is known as symphysis pubis.
· This joint is strengthened by a network of flexible tissues known as ligaments to help the baby pass through the pelvis as easily as possible.
· At the time of delivery, the mother’s body produces a hormone relaxin, which helps to soften the ligaments.
· As a result, these joints move more just after pregnancy causing pain, this is known as symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD). In this condition, the gap in the pubic joint widens more as compared to the average gap of bone in non pregnant woman which is nearly 4mm to 5mm and during pregnancy, it is widened by 2mm or 3mm.
· If in any case this gap is 10mm or more, SPD is diagnosed which can be identified by X-ray.
· This can be the reason of hip pain after delivery
· SPD can occur at any time i.e. during pregnancy or after the delivery of the child..
· If one is having SPD in one pregnancy, it is more likely to have it in the next pregnancy.
Symptoms of SDP
Pain in the hip joint or pubic is the most common symptom. Other symptoms involve:
· Back pain
· Pelvic girdle pain
· Hip pain
· Clicking sensation in the pubic area
· Pain down the side of thighs or between the legs
Treatment of Hip Pain after Delivery
The treatment of hip pain includes the following important steps:
· Exercise properly which will focus on tummy and pelvic floor muscles. This will help to improve the stability of the pelvis and back.
· Sometimes, you can also undergo gentle, hands-on treatment of hip to correct stiffness or imbalance.
· Exercise in water is also one of the important treatments of hip pain after delivery. Take advice of your doctor on making daily activities less painful.
· Acupuncture is also known to have the right choice, so as to reduce the pain
· Along with this, pelvic support belt will definitely give quick relief from hip pain.
Important Tips to Reduce Hip Pain after Delivery
· Try to avoid heavy lifting or pushing. Supermarket trolleys can also increase the pain, so stay away from this.
· At the time of climbing stairs, go up by keeping one step at a time
· Avoid swimming breaststroke
· When getting dressed, sit down in a proper manner while pulling on knickers or trousers.
Most of the time, these symptoms slowly decrease after the baby is born. You can also carry on physiotherapy after your child’s birth. In this way, we can conclude that hip pain during delivery can be controlled by taking proper care.
About the Author
Dr Tsou Jinyeu is a well known gynecologist and has been in this field since 1995. His special interests are – genetic and birth defects, high risk obstetrics, lupus in pregnancy, premature labour, premature delivery, triplets and ultrasound diagnosis. He is graduated from the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine. Nowdays he is working as a medical doctor at Elmhurst Loyola Center for Health.
Advice Rating: Not yet rated
Login to vote