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Symphysis diastasis during pregnancy – Here’s how you can avoid the common pain

Occasional pulling and pinching are completely normal during pregnancy after all your body is going through a major change. But what is causing this lower pelvic pain? And what can you do if it won’t disappear after birth? Nearly one out of ten mummies-to-be struggle with ongoing symphysis loosening and the discomfort that comes with it. Find out tips on prevention and how you don’t have the pain limit you. 😊

What is the pubic symphysis?

The symphysis is one of three joints in the pelvis. It is located in the pubic symphysis and allows little range of motion under normal circumstances. During pregnancy, loosening and stretching is caused by the increased release of the hormone Relaxin, which is resulting in severe pain for some pregnant women.

What promotes symphysis loosening?
  • Physically demanding work
  • Previous back problems
  • Excessive weight
  • Smoking
  • Overloading during exercise, such as lifting too heavy weights

 

What do I have to keep in mind when exercising with symphysis diastasis?

Pattering in the place (a bit like a soft boxer skip), exercises on all fours, and keeping your knees closer together in specific exercises will reduce the tension on your symphysis and thus reduce pain. Be sure to avoid cross-legged sitting and wide lunges; these stretches may be more painful.  Also important: Increase your pelvic floor exercising.

How do you relieve the pain of pubic symphysis?
  • Shaping wear & symphysis girdles have a relieving effect
  • Take breaks when necessary
  • Avoid huge lunging steps
  • All-fours-position: This position takes the baby’s weight off the pelvis
  • Heat pads relieve the pain

What is the pubic symphysis?

Despite the widespread smaller troubles that the symphysis can cause during pregnancy, it is relatively unknown. It is one of the three articulated joints in the pelvis. To be more specific, it is located between the pubic bones and is therefore also known as the pubic symphysis. While mild pulling in the pelvis during pregnancy can be perfectly normal, the reason for more severe, persistent pain can be the loosening of this very joint. Especially pregnant women from the 20th week onwards are affected by symphysis loosening. However, the phenomenon can occur at any time. Research has shown that expecting moms are often most affected in the third trimester. However, it is also clear that the period, duration, and intensity of the pain are very individual.

Did you know: Symphysis loosening can last from a few weeks to a few years after birth. Unfortunately, anything is possible here, but you can take precautions: exercising is the best prevention – especially exercises that are targeting the pelvic floor! For that  feel free to check out our Mama Works the Floor workout series designed to strengthen, relax and stabilize your pelvic floor and the interaction with your ab and back muscles. 😊

Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) or pelvic gridle pain (PGP) during pregnancy

While the symphysis normally allows little room for movement, pregnancy hormones cause the pelvis to prepare for birth (which is of course a good thing 😉). In technical terms, this means that the increased release of the hormone relaxin leads to the loosening and stretching of the ligaments. This makes them softer, wider and ultimately more elastic, which is enormously important for childbirth. After all, the widening of the pubic symphysis is essential for your little sweatheart to enter the world without any server problems. On the other hand, however, this results in the loosening of the symphysis, which is often clearly noticeable in form of pain in the pelvis. In addition, the new instability also affects the other two joint connections in the pelvis, the so-called the sacroiliac joint or SI joint (SIJ) Unfortunately, it is also likely that this is the trigger for painful back tension as well.

My tip: A good mix of strengthening exercises and nice stretching and relaxation sessions will help your body relax and release tension. You can find a collection of my favorite exercises in our Relax and Roll it Mama series 😊

What causes pubic symphysis separation?

  • Physically demanding work
  • Previous back problems
  • Being overweight
  • Smoking
  • Injuries to the hip
  • Arthritic joint inflammation
  • If you’re unsure, try to tone down your strength training sessions – even as an experienced person – by using less weight. I think your body and especially your symphysis will appreciate it 😊
  • Sports that your body is not used to, for example, if you suddenly start horse-riding during pregnancy

My very own experience:

I had to make this experience in my first pregnancy: I am an experienced equestrian, but after not sitting on a horse for over a year and being 5 months pregnant , riding an entire hour dressage, my symphysis problems started! My body was simply not used to this kind of movements anymore!

What really helped me was exercising! If you stay active in working out during pregnancy, you will develop the best body awareness. This will help you to also instinctively choose a position that is good for you during labor and delivery! Did you know: nowadays you don’t necessarily have to go back to the supine position even during pushing contractions! The “on all fours position” is especially taking off the pressure on your pelvic symphysis.

Symphysis separation symptoms

Probably the most common symptom of symphysis loosening is the associated pain. These occur mainly in the pubic bone, hip and groin area. However, painful tension in the lower back is also not uncommon. These become particularly strong when walking longer distances and when you spread your legs. Even climbing stairs can become an ordeal in the event of symphysis loosening. Even simple tasks such as turning over while lying down can be painful. Depending on the extent of the loosening, the pain can be felt selectively or continuously.

Important: Trust the experts! Your doctor and midwife are sure to have useful tips for you.

My personal tip: do not become immobile! I.e. It is very important that you continue to do your workouts regularly. If the pain becomes too severe, a quadruped birth or a water birth is usually recommended. Whether a cesarean section is appropriate is always decided on an individual basis. However, a natural birth is usually possible.

MOVE IT MAMA expert, Anna Weiß, physiotherapist and graduated sports scientist, summarizes the essentials here: “Putting a pillow between your legs at night ensures that the pull on the symphysis remains as low as possible, which results in less tension. In addition, a trained pelvic floor is enormously important to relieve the pelvis as much as possible.”

My personal tips to deal with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction

Unfortunately, there is no 100 percent prevention against symphysis loosening.
Anne Weiß contributed her expertise into some of our MOVE IT MAMA workouts. She again emphasized on the importance of working the pelvic floor during pregnancy to treat symphysis discomforts . In addition, it is important to relax the abdomen and the pelvic floor muscles frequently. Accordingly, your workouts must also be adjusted accordingly. One thing is for sure though, exercising is the best remedy for the persistent pain, both in the time before and after birth.

I was pretty impressed how much these tips helped myself during my 1st pregnancy. However, in the 2nd, I also struggled with initial symphysis discomfort for a short time. Immediately I put a pillow between my legs at night, as well as started to strengthen my pelvic floor and hips with targeted training and started with nice helpful stretching exercises. It worked! I almost did not suffer from any pubic symphysis discomfort during the 3rd trimester anymore!

Together with Anna Weiß, I also developed a workout series targeting exactly this weak spot. The Mama Works the Floor workout series is an important part of Move It Mama. We just finished shooting the new videos in Italy. You’ll be able to find them in the app next year. 😊

Until then our Mama Works the Floor series will offer you a wide range of exercises to counteract any symphysis related pain.

Beckenbodentraining während und nach der Schwangerschaft

Furthermore, there are a variety of actions that will help you relieve the pain. Here I have compiled a list of my best tips and tricks for you:

  • Strengthen your pelvic floor with specific exercises
  • Shaping wear & symphysis belts have a relieving effect (these in particular helped me in my 1st pregnancy😊).
  • Putting a pillow between your legs while sleeping on your side
  • Take breaks when necessary
  • Avoid taking too large steps
  • Quadruped position: Takes the baby’s weight off the pelvis, feels relieving and still lets you exercise great.
  • Heat pads relieve the pain
  • Physiotherapy, osteopathy and acupuncture (ask your midwife or doctor)

Fitness & sports activities with pubic symphysis disfunction

If you suffer from symphysis disfunction, it is important that you make sure to modify many exercises into hip-width distance. For example, avoid wide lunges to the front or side, because this would mean a strong pull on the symphysis. You will feel the pain immediately when you do it. Cross-legged sitting should also be avoided for this reason, unless you feel it is fine for you. Overstretching and pain can be avoided by soft boxer-skipping movements. Additionally, you should incorporate lots of exercises on all fours. Planks are taboo in the 3rd trimester anyway, so modifying to quadruped stand makes sense here. Please make sure to keep your knees together during these knee planks to minimize the stretching of the symphysis.

Basically, whatever feels good is allowed. If you notice that any movement doesn’t feel easy for you, then try it out again in a more gentle way. Every body is different!

Always keep in mind you are not alone with your pregnancy discomforts. If you have any more questions about pubic symphysis discomfort and treatments feel free to get in touch on Instagram @moveitmama_official. I’ll be more than happy to answer any further questions there 😊 Otherwise, you can already look forward to our new blog series targeting pelvic floor issues, exercises and treatments. Next week I’ll talk about some exciting facts and useful tips that will help asap to cure this area after birth!

 

Keep it Moving,

Your Birte

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