Improving Your Body Position During Sleep

One of the number one ways to relieve hip pain during pregnancy is by improving your posture or positioning during sleep.

If you were to ask any professional what the best position is for sleeping, theyd most likely tell you flat on your back with a pillow under your knees to create a slight angle. You want to remain as neutral as possible.

Obviously, as your pregnancy progresses, this is not feasible. Youll eventually need to sacrifice good body positioning in order to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. But, you can try using a pregnancy body pillow.

This will help you keep your hips straight and maintain the normal contours of your back. You can also try a pillow between your legs to relieve pressure on your hips.

Causes Of Sciatica During Pregnancy

Sciatic pain is typically caused by lumbar spine problems, such as a bulging or herniated disc. It can also be caused by bone changes, such as spinal narrowing or stenosis, osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease, or another condition affecting the spine called spondylolisthesis. These situations can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing symptoms.

Sciatica due to a herniated disc during pregnancy isnt common. But, sciatic-like symptoms are common with low back pain in pregnancy. In fact, between 50 and 80 percent of women have back pain during their pregnancies.

Sciatic symptoms can also be caused by muscle tension and unstable joints. Pelvic bone pain, sacroiliac joint problems, and a condition called piriformis syndrome, which is a problem with one of the muscles in the buttocks, are common causes of sciatic pain during pregnancy. This is due to an increase in pregnancy hormones like relaxin, which can cause your ligaments, the structures that attach bones to joints, to loosen and stretch, especially in your pelvic area.

Your babys weight can also add to SI joint trouble or piriformis syndrome because it puts extra pressure on your pelvis and hip joints. Occasionally the position of your baby can add pressure to your sciatic nerve.

When Should I See My Doctor For Pelvic Pain

If your pelvic pain is ever accompanied by bleeding, see your doctor immediately.

If you have severe pelvic pain during your first trimester, it is important to notify your doctor. While some pelvic pressure, cramping, or discomfort is normal, most pelvic pain occurs in mid-to-late pregnancy.

In early pregnancy, sudden and severe pelvic pain could signal miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

Remember

Your doctor will check you for these conditions to rule them out, so even though youll have to deal with ongoing pelvic pain, at least you wont have to worry about it being a symptom of a serious condition.

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What Is Pregnancy Sciatica

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It runs through the back of your knees and the muscles in your lower leg. When your sciatic nerve gets pinched, bruised, or injured, it can cause pain in your lower back, legs, pelvis, and heel. This pain is known as sciatica. Sciatic pain can be triggered by:

• Injury, such as a pelvic fracture
• Herniated disc with nerve root compression

Sciatica pain usually only occurs on one side of the body at a time, although some people feel sciatic pain on alternating sides. If you have an injury that affects only one side of your body, you will most likely feel the pain on that side.

Taking A Prenatal Massage

Prenatal massages are a great way to lessen the aches of your body, including hip pain during pregnancy. This kind of massage helps to relax and loosen the muscles of your body and also reduce your stress. You should always schedule an appointment with a trained masseuse who will know your exact sore spots and provide the much needed relief.

Read More: 11 Benefits of Prenatal Massages Therapy

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Gait Can Lead To Hip Pain

As your baby grows, it will affect how you do everything, including something as simple as walking.

It becomes more obvious during later pregnancy as you gain more weight and experience more changes in your body, but you will likely develop a waddle of sorts. This waddle, or gait, will lead to hip pain, as the movement pattern is unnatural.

Successful Ways To Relieve Hip Pain During Pregnancy

Hip pain is very common in pregnant women all over the world. This pain mainly occurs during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. There are many effective ways to get relief from hip pain during pregnancy. Using a pregnancy pillow, applying ice pack on your hip joints, wearing a pregnancy belt, resting as much as possible and improving your posture while sleeping successfully reduces the hip pain. Also exercising, taking a prenatal massage, swimming, taking a warm bath, realigning your pelvic bone and making sure to sleep on the right mattress work wonders for hip pain.

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Pelvic Girdle Pain Relief During Pregnancy

You don’t have to accept pelvic girdle pain as a part of your pregnancy. But did you know that it’s so common that 25% of pregnant women will suffer from some kind of PGP through their pregnancy. We call this pregnancy-related PGP.

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When To See A Doctor For Hip Pain During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of change and pains and aches are very common at this time. Hip pain is also a very common syndrome during the second and third trimester. It usually can be controlled and cured by a lot of methods. However, if you feel pressure in your pelvic region and the pain goes down to your thighs, especially before the 37th week of pregnancy, you must consult your doctor as it can be an indication of premature labor.

In case you notice any signs or symptoms of preterm labor, it is important to seek immediate medical help. If you notice hip pain and soreness or pain in the pelvic area that seems to be radiating towards the thigh before the 37th week, you should consult your doctor. Some other signs of preterm labor can be:

• Abdominal cramps
• Discomfort in the lower abdomen
• Unusual and frequent contractions

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What Pain Relief Is Available For Pgp

Physiotherapy – if your PGP is no better after following these guidelines for two weeks, ask your midwife or GP for a referral to a womens health physiotherapist. The physiotherapist will examine your pelvic, back and hip joints and the muscles around the joints, also looking at the way you move. Treatment may include an individual exercise programme, exercise in water, manual therapy, advice on posture and daily activities.

Pelvic support belt – a maternity support belt or tubigrip may reduce PGP on walking ask your physiotherapist for advice.

Osteopathy/Chiropractors – this treatment is not available on the NHS, but may be found helpful by some women. If you consult a therapist, check that they are experienced in treating women in pregnancy or postnatally.

Relaxation – to help to relax the muscles and help reduce tension you may consider relaxation techniques, massage or aromatherapy massage, which may ease pain.

Pain killers – regular paracetamol , is safe during pregnancy and often necessary to provide some pain relief. Sometimes stronger painkillers are required such as dihydrocodeine or codeine, please discuss this with your doctor. Prolonged use of high dose codeine close to the end of pregnancy may cause babies to be jittery or sleepy when born, your baby will be checked carefully and may need to stay in hospital for a day or so for observation.

What Can You Do To Relieve Sciatica Pain

To relieve sciatic pain:

• Try Kegel exercises and pelvic tilts to help strengthen muscles
• Swim for exercise. Because of the buoyancy, swimming takes the pressure off the nerve.
• Try alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, and massage therapy. Be sure to find practitioners who are experienced with treatment during pregnancy.
• Ask your caregiver which pain medication would be most effective and safest for you and in what doses.
• Ask your caregiver for a referral for physical therapy to build strength and good posture.

Sciatic pain usually goes away within a few months after the babys birth. If yours doesnt, talk with your caregiver about possible underlying problems.

Lower back pain during pregnancy is very common. Read our article about the various types of lower back pain to learn what might be causing yours and how to deal with it.

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Causes Of Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy

Pelvic pain during pregnancy can be caused by a variety of different factors. Here are some common causes of pelvic pain during pregnancy. If you are experiencing pelvic pain during pregnancy, talk to your health care provider about your concerns.

• Weight Gain and Increased Pressure on the Joints

Pelvic pain during pregnancy can be caused by loose ligaments, weight gain, and an increased centre of gravity. The increased pressure on the pelvic joints can lead to soreness and burning. Women may also feel pain when lifting, walking, bending, or squatting. Pelvic pain often worsens at night. Other symptoms may include shaky legs.

• Hormone Changes

Pelvic pain can occur in the early or late stages of pregnancy and can result from changes in hormone levels. In the first trimester, relaxin is released into your bloodstream, which relaxes your pelvic ligaments. This loosening will lead to pelvic pain. In the second trimester, this pain usually becomes worse.

• Digestive Issues

Pelvic pain is most commonly associated with digestive issues like constipation. Other possible causes include infection, a foreign object in the pelvic area, or even a problem with the pelvic muscles. Treatment may include medication, physical therapy, or home remedies.

• Muscular Imbalance

• Urinary Tract Infections

When Should You See A Doctor About Hip Pain

If youre experiencing hip pain, its best to check with your doctor to rule out any other potential causes. They will be able to confirm whether or not the pain is related to pregnancy and offer treatment options.

If the pain is sharp, is continuous or unbearable I would call your provider right away or go into an Urgent Care to be checked out. It could be a real problem.

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What Is Lateral Hip Pain

Lateral hip pain refers to pain on the side of your hip.

It is often referred to in the Physio world as Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome .

It can involve the gluteal tendons and the bursae .

Sometimes it can be as a result of inflammation in the bursa, and other times it can be related to changes in the tendon.

Sleep With A Pregnancy Pillow

A pregnancy pillow can help relieve pressure on your pelvis by propping up your knees and keeping your hips parallel. When you sleep on your side with your knees together, your top leg drags your hip down and can cause hip and pelvic discomfort.

Sleeping with a pregnancy pillow between your knees can help relieve this pressure. If you dont have a pregnancy pillow, a regular pillow will work just fine.

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How To Relieve Hip Pain During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an exciting time in a mother’s life. Growing a new life inside of your belly is an incredible feeling. Every month you feel a new little nudge, hiccup or kick that sends your emotions into overdrive. But pregnancy is not all sunshine and rainbows. Creating a human being is hard on your body. Most women experience hip, back and pelvic pain throughout pregnancy. And while these aches can make moving around during the day difficult, one of the biggest complaints pregnant women have is they can’t get a good night’s sleep.

Why Should You Use a Pregnancy Body Pillow?

Though your body will naturally make space for your baby, there still isn’t much room in the uterus for the baby to stretch out. As the fetus grows, space inside decreases and the baby will inevitably put pressure on organs, nerves and bones. The added pressure causes new aches and pains during different stages of development. Doctors advise against putting harmful chemicals and medications in your body when with child, so finding pain relief is challenging. A pregnancy pillow is a simple, drug-free solution to ease this positional discomfort.

How To Use a Pregnancy Pillow for Hip Pain

There are no hard and fast rules on using a pregnancy pillow. Everyone tends to have their unique quirks and comforts. But, depending on the type of pain you’re experiencing, specific techniques could help.

Hip and Knee Pain

Back Pain

Sciatic Nerve Pain

What Is a Shaped Pregnancy Pillow?

Standard Body Pillows

Memory Foam

Sleeping Habits In Later Pregnancy

If you arent already dealing with it, youll likely struggle with insomnia at some point during your pregnancy. Youll be tossing and turning, running to the bathroom throughout the night, and fighting painful leg cramps.

Eventually, youll get to the point where youre willing to do anything to fall asleep – including sacrificing proper posture and body position to get comfortable.

During pregnancy, sleeping on your side is pretty much the only comfortable position. This is especially true in the third trimester when your bump grows and the baby puts pressure on certain parts of your body.

But, it can lead to nasty hip pain. This is because of the basic anatomy of your body, and the position your knees are in when you lay on your side. Well cover a few ways to combat this shortly.

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What Causes Sciatic Nerve Pain During Pregnancy

With all the changes happening in your pelvic region – and depending on where your baby sits inside of you – lower back pain is common during pregnancy. As your hips shift with hormone changes, and your babys weight increases, extra pressure is often applied to your sciatic nerve.

Your sciatic nerves run from your lower back to your feet. Sciatic nerve pain in pregnancy occurs due to the enlargement of your uterus as the baby grows. Sciatica puts pressure on the nerves, causing pain, numbness, or tingling sensations in the lower back, hips, buttocks, or thighs. People often report a tingling sensation or pain down one side of their body or down one leg.

Many pregnant women experience sciatica, but the severity and stages in which it presents will vary.

As your pregnancy progresses, and your belly and breasts grow, your center of gravity shifts forward. This can put extra weight on different areas of your pelvis and stretch your lordotic curve. As you get closer to your due date, you may notice that sciatica pain decreases or changes. This is usually because the baby is shifting position to prepare for birth.

Although sciatica and hip pain in pregnancy are common, you should still notify your doctor that it is occurring. Sciatica can be caused by things other than pregnancy and should be addressed. There are also some options that may help soothe the pain you are feeling and reduce sciatica symptoms.

Releasing Iliopsoas Muscle Tension During Pregnancy

Depending on the stage of your pregnancy or motherhood, how you address iliopsoas tension will differ. These muscles are already hard to reach, and when youre pregnant they are increasingly inaccessible.

During pregnancy, you cant lay on your stomach to easily release your hips flexors with targeted tools through the abdomen. Many physical therapists are trained in ways to release muscle tension that will be safe for you and your baby during pregnancy. If youve been getting frequent chiropractic, but the alignment wont stick, youll want to address the underlying iliacus muscle tension.

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Prenatal Yoga And Pilates

We cannot stress enough the importance of exercise during pregnancy. Even just a daily walk is more than most women get while theyre expecting.

But, sometimes walking will only exacerbate your hip pain, especially if you have a gait or waddle, like we discussed above.

Special prenatal yoga and pilates classes can do wonders for your hip pain.

These activities will help stabilize your stressed joints, allowing you to find relief. You can also try water aerobics, because exercising in a pool will take a lot of stress of your joints while allowing you to remain active.

When Is Hip Pain During Pregnancy An Emergency

While many cases of mild to moderate hip pain can be treated at home, severe hip pain during pregnancy should be immediately evaluated by a doctor.

Hip pain before the 37th week of pregnancy that radiates towards the thighs and is accompanied by abdominal cramping, back pain, or vaginal discharge may be a sign of early labor. If you have any concerns about hip pain during pregnancy, talk to your doctor.

Pregnant and feeling achy in the hips or lower back? Find a pain doctor in your area who specializes in managing pain issues naturally. Click the button below to get started!

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