Did anyone suffer from Pubic Symphysis Disorder while they were pregnant? I did & it was terrible ... I could barely walk. But within a few weeks after delivery I was nearly back to normal.
My son is now 9.5 months old & all of the sudden its back. Within the past 2 days, its gotten debilitating. I have a VM into my internist & my OBGYN. I'm not sure what kind of doctor can help me rehabilitate.
If anyone has any recommendations on what type of doctor could help me, that would be a huge help. My OBGYN has only seen a handful of cases & since its so rare, I'm having trouble finding information. Thanks so much!
I would also suggest a chiropractor and especially an osteopath. An osteopath helped realign the bones in my daughter's skull through gentle manipulation. Hope you get some relief!
Hi L.,
Definitely a chiropractor! I would love to help you if you don't mind coming up to Brea! I also have a colleague who is in Newport if you would like her info.
In health,
C. Tanaka, DC
www.naturallifechiro.com
It really depends on what's causing it. It could be being caused by bone, connective tissue, or the nerves... and until you get seen (probably a couple of times) they won't know.
For people who are helped via chiropractors, the cause is (essentially) bone... something is pulling the pelvis apart creating stress, inflammation, and pain on that little cartilaginous joint. Once the pelvis is not being pulled apart anymore, the symphysis doesn't have pressure on it, and it doesn't hurt. This is probably the most common cause. Because our joints get so loose when we're pregnant, and then take quite some time to tighten back up, some of them tighten "out of order", or put our bones in not exactly the best place.
BUT
There is also the possibility that the symphysis has torn (like a torn rotator cuff in a shoulder), that you're actually getting "displaced" pain from a number of possible places (partially dislocated hip, tumor, pelvic inflammatory disease, the list goes on), that you have a pinched nerve, a localized infection, a nerve that regrew the wrong way (ESPECIALLY if you had a c-sect... I had a nerve attach itself to my colon after surgery...for 2 years every time "something" ;) passed by that particular spot it felt like someone was stabbing an icepick in me... eventually my brain stopped paying attention aka acclimated, and the pain stopped. The point being, if it's a nerve, but not a pinched one...it can take a little bit of time for your brain to realize, that no, you're not actually being stabbed to death), etc.
What your docs will do is run through a battery of questions & tests to rule out a.b.c.d.e.... until by process of elimination, they figure out what's up. Maybe it was growing up with Star Trek, but it often still shocks me that doc's usually have to figure out what's wrong by what works to fix it (especially since insurance precludes expensive tests, like MRI/PET/CAT scans unless EVERYTHING else has already been ticked off as "not it".)
I would suggest going to your GP ... these days GP's are almost like the 411 on which specialist to see after they rule out things they can fix (by drawing blood, seeing if it's an infection, etc.) They also have short lists of GOOD people to see in the field... everything from Chiropractic to Dermatology. Nothing against general practitioners... they have to hold the whole body in their minds (one hard task), while a specialist gets to go in deep into their own focus, be that whatever organ it is.
I had this too! Very painful, I know. I found a great Chiropractor who works with pregnant women and with a few adjustments it went pretty much back to normal. Not sure what town you are in but Dr. Gerken in Chula Vista (Bonita) was who I went to Good Luck!
I also had pretty serious PSD during my pregnancy, and ended up on bed-rest for the last 2 months. Chiropractors did not help (at all, it just hurt worse), I was told, because my pelvis was essentially dislocated (this was proven later through MRI)and could not be "adjusted" back. After my daughter was born, I did feel better for a few months, but like you, the pain came back with a vengeance. I ended up at a Rheumatologist. They specialize in joint and bone issues and can be of great help. I had an MRI and they saw that the symphysis pubis area was pretty damaged. I was able to get some help, but was told that this type of damage is for life, so things like going up a ton of stairs, may always be painful. I feel your pain...literally. Good Luck!
I had this problem during my pregnancy and still have it 2 months later (although the pain is almost gone). My doctor dismissed it as the price you pay for being pregnant so I did my own diagnosing. I found that what has helped me the best is wearing my Spanx and not sitting or laying down too long. The girdle helps keep my hips tightly together and I don't feel my hip pain as much. From the research I've done you can try going to a chiropractor, a physical therapist, performing Kegel exercises, and lying on your back doing hip raises while pressing a tennis ball between your knees. I am definitely going to try these too. Hope this helps!
I would get a referral to a physical therapist (Hoag outpatient is great). It's not THAT rare. They can work to gently mobilize it back into place. Your pelvis is unstable for awhile after pregnancy and they can also teach you exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles which sounds like what you may need since it has been 9 mo..
Hi I had major pubis symphisis pain during pregnancy and got some relief from my chiropractor, Dr. Masters ###-###-####. My pain started around the 5th month and got progressively worse as I put on more weight. The adjustments and self therapy advised did help though. Dr. Masters uses an activator and applies it directly to the pubis bone/suture. If I remember correctly it has something to do with stableizing the bones and preventing so much movement in that area. How is your core strength? You might want to work on that to help out too. Good luck.
