Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy: What is Normal?

I recently saw a post on Instagram of a woman saying you could go to your doctor while you’re pregnant and say anything and they will respond with “that’s normal, you’re just pregnant!”. The example she gave was “one of my legs is growing longer than the other” and the doctor said “yep, that’s normal!”.

Although this post made me chuckle, it’s also problematic for a few reasons. The first is that when you’re pregnant, anything you physically feel might seem a little concerning to you. When your doctor dismisses those concerns, it can feel really frustrating and cause you to feel uncomfortable to share future concerns. Although I also don’t think doctors need to make a big deal out of something that actually isn’t a big deal, it is important that you feel like your provider is acknowledging your concern and providing you with reassurance, rather than dismissing you. There is definitely a difference in how you feel leaving a conversation where you feel reassured vs dismissed, and you deserve to feel reassured.

The second issue is that sometimes these concerns have to do with pain or discomfort, and there are actually a lot of things that can help. Pregnancy aches and pains, especially pelvic pain, has been normalized. Women are often told it’s part of being pregnant and will get better postpartum.

I have two big problems with this mentality.

1)  You don’t need to suffer through your pregnancy. There are so many different exercises and manual therapy techniques that can improve pelvic mobility, decrease pain and muscle guarding, and keep you moving and feeling good. There are also devices such as SI joint belts, abdominal support bands, and even kinesiotaping techniques that can help reduce discomfort.

2)  These problems often persist postpartum. I have treated so many women who have pubic symphysis pain, back pain, or SI joint pain that started during pregnancy and continues to limit their work outs even several years postpartum. Assuming a musculoskeletal problem will just go away once you aren’t pregnant is not accurate.

To be clear, pelvic pain and discomfort is definitely common during pregnancy, especially during the last couple of months.

As baby grows, there are a few things that change and can cause discomfort. One is of course increased pressure on your pelvis and pelvic floor muscles due to increased weight of your baby and uterus. Another common cause of back and pelvic pain is postural changes that cause increased demand on your back muscles. Pregnant women often have changes in their gait pattern as well that can cause discomfort. 

Although all of these changes are completely normal, pregnant women do not have to live with the pain and discomfort that can come along with it. Seeing a pelvic floor therapist during pregnancy can help you prepare for labor and delivery, reduce pregnancy related pain, and prepare for your postpartum recovery.

We offer prenatal physical therapy sessions at our Collierville office, and I also recently launched my online self-paced prenatal prep course, Birth Ready! You can learn more about Birth Ready here.

Blog post written by Dr. Alexis Hutchison, PT, DPT, OCS.