Dealing with Pubic Symphysis Pain or Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)?

Did you know pelvic floor physical therapy can help with this? Pelvic pain is defined as having pain between the top of your hip bones and the bottom of your glutes. This pain commonly develops during pregnancy and can also persist after delivery. Most advice that is given is to just deal with the pain because it usually goes away after pregnancy. But why suffer with this pain when there are resources that can help?

The two most common forms of pelvic pain is sacroiliac joint pain and pubic symphysis pain. It is also possible to have a combination of both of these which is usually referred to as pelvic girdle pain.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Sacroiliac joint pain occurs in the back of our pelvis around where our “back dimples” is.

Pubic Symphysis Pain

Pubic symphysis pain or symphysis pubic dysfunction (SPD) occurs in the front of the pelvis. Many muscles attach here such as pelvic floor muscles and hip adductors (groin muscles).

Pelvic Girdle Pain

Pelvic girdle pain is a combination of sacroiliac joint pain and pelvic girdle pain.

Can pelvic floor physical therapy help?

YES! But unfortunately, the most common advice given to pregnant and breastfeeding women is to just wait until delivery or until you’re done breastfeeding for the pain to decrease. This advice is based solely on the idea that pain is caused by relaxin levels. Relaxin’s role is to improve ligament laxity and improve mobility in the pelvis in preparation for delivery. Recent studies suggest that there is no correlation between relaxin levels and pelvic pain. So if there is no correlation between relaxin levels and pelvic pain, why wait to receive treatment?

Here at Shift Physical Therapy, our Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists can:

• Assess the pelvic floor muscles (get overactive muscles to start at a better resting baseline so they have more to give & can turn on when you need them)

• Improve pressure management (breath strategies, running technique)

• Strengthen/build endurance.

• Finally, we can build hip & core strength so the ENTIRE system runs efficiently.

Are you needing a little more help?

If you are needing a little more help, we set aside time in our schedule where you can talk directly with a healthcare professional who specializes in urinary incontinence and helping women get back to running and jumping without symptoms.

We offer this as a courtesy to our clients so can get your questions answered before committing to booking an appointment. If you a ready to take action, let’s chat. Schedule a consultation now.