Hip & Thigh Pain during Pregnancy
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Hip & Thigh Pain during Pregnancy
May 2007
I am 4 months pregnant and have been sleeping on my left and
right side. The problem is that I wake up several times during
the night with pain in my upper/outer thigh and buttocks. Once
this happens on one side, I switch to sleeping on my other side,
but after a little while both sides become very tender and sore.
I do sleep with a pillow or two between my knees and under my
upper arm.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I'm almost 7 months pregnant and have been dealing with hip and lower-back pain
for three months. Please be reassured that this is normal - your body is changing to
accommodate that beautiful little baby. I find some relief by stretching before bed,
positioning several pillows around me, and often getting up once each night to fill
my water glass and stretch again (hip circles, leg stretches, self-massage). I keep a
firm pillow between my knees and thighs to help with alignment, and much to my
husband's delight, have finally perfected an efficient turn when waking up to sore
hips. I try to sleep mostly on my left side (better for baby), but probably turn at least
3 times per night, stopping midway to let my lower back relax (about 1 minute),
then proceed to the other side. A warm bath before bed also helps, realizing that I
sleep more soundly on those nights. Swimming helps with circulation issues, too.
On a side note, I found out that I have an anterior placenta, so baby is more
posterior, affecting sciatic nerve. This may be the pain you feel in your tush - same
advice applies. Good luck to you. I think all those sleepless nights are preparing us
for baby!
I was recently pregnant, and I had the exact same problem. I
would be very comfortable at the beginning of the night on my
side, but as the night went on I could handle shorter and shorter
stints on each side, and so was constantly switching and not
comfortable towards morning. I also found that the pillow between
my legs didn't help much. So I'll tell you what I did, though
maybe it wasn't the ''best'' thing, it helped me sleep so was best
for me. What I did was to sleep a little on my back. They say
sleeping on your back after 20 weeks isn't good b/c the weight of
your uterus/baby can reduce blood flow to your legs. But I never
had a problem (no tingling). I put a big pillow upright behind my
normal pillow, and then put my normal pillow sloping down from
the big pillow to the bed. Then I would be kind of half-sitting,
half-laying. I would also sometimes slightly angle myself to the
left or right, but would be mainly on my back. I used this
back-sleeping as a third position, just to give my hips a break.
I would go to it in the middle of the night when my thighs/hips
were hurting, and then could go back to a side a few hours later
(after an obligatory potty break). I definitely found that having
this option helped me get sleep! Good luck to you!
get some sleep!
That happened to me with both of my boys. I wish I could give you
advice on how to stop it, but nothing worked for me. Nothing
except giving birth and going back to sleeping on my stomach,
that is. Sorry. :(
Jill
If you can afford it, look into getting a new matress. I had to
do this when I was pregnant. The further along you get- the more
uncomfortable you get. Especially, if your bed it's cushy
enough. Best wishes....
''Sealy'' sleeper
I went through the exact same thing in my recent pregnancy, to
the point where my hip pain effected my walking during the
day. I ended up getting a memory foam mattress topper at
Costco and it made a HUGE difference. They sell them in all
sizes, so you can get one for just your side of the bed
(although there will be a height difference) or a full one to
use for the remainder of your pregnancy.
Carly
see elon bartlett at bartlett chiropractic. you may have some
nerve compression and he may be able to help with this.
i had some severe lower back pain and leg numbness during my
second pregnancy and he helped me with this.
beth
I had the same pain, and no amount of pillows or foam mattress
toppers helped. The solution for me was a thinnish (about 3
inches) inflatable camping mattress from REI. I bought the
mummy size (no pun intended) and tucked it under the bottom
sheet, so my husband could sleep beside me on the rest of the
regular bed. The trick for me was to only partially inflate
the air mattress, so that my hips could really sink into it.
Worked great right up to the ninth month (plus one week
overdue!).
Suzanne
Try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees/legs. I think you will
find
this will help very much!
anon
arnica ointment or gel can help, and try mobilizing L1 or L2
vertebrae, which can refer into that area. take 2 tennis balls,
tie them into a cotton sweat sock so that they're in the middle
and there's a knot to each side of the pair. pull the fabric VERY
tight before tying the second knot, so they don't slide around.
then lean against the wall or lie on top of them and push your
back into them to move the vertebrae around a bit. if you pain
goes away a little while later, then you know it was referred
pain. if there's no change, then it's just too long in one position.
signed; Physical Therapist mama of 2, who remembers sore hips well!
I want to second the recommendation to get a pillow top for
your mattress, especially if it's firm. I had this problem
through my entire first pregnancy (starting around 4 months),
and thought I had to be resigned to it, but this time, I bought
the pillow top at around 6 months, and it has almost totally
cleared up the problem (I'm now at 8 months+). I also stretch
and/or massage those areas before bed, and use a pillow between
my legs, but those measures were definitely not enough by
themselves. I discovered the pillow top solution while staying
at a Sheraton, which has them built into the mattresses -- I
went to a 3-day conference, felt great for those nights, then
went back to sore hips at home until I got a pillow top. You
can always get one at Bed and Bath, try it out, and return it
if it doesn't work.
anon
November 2003
I have checked the archives, and all I found on sciatica during
pregnancy was recommendations for people to treat it in some
way. I am looking for advice on what I, myself, can do to
minimize the pain. I do not have the shooting-pain-down-one's-
leg type of sciatica that I have heard others describe, but
rather a near-constant ache in my right buttock. In the last
few days it's become much more painful in the evenings, so
intense that I sometimes can't move between standing and
sitting. So... what can I do? Are there any stretches or
exercises that would help? Do certain positions of sitting or
sleeping make it any better or worse? Any advice appreciated!
Sarah
I had a bad case of sciatica when I was pregnant. Try elevating
your feet when you are sitting. Get up and walk around every
half hour. I think the key is to keep moving. I know it seems
very painful to do that, but it does get easier. See if a
warm/hot pad on the painful area helps. I thought it was
helpful at night since you are not able to move much in bed.
Feel better!
Judy
I've had pain in my upper right thigh since I hit 4.5 months.
At first, everyone said it was sciatica--including my doctors
and physical therapists. However, it felt very different from
the descriptions of sciatica that I had read--it's not shooting
and it's more like constant numbness, tingling, and burning
pain at the same time. Standing for more than 10 minutes
is excruciating, walking is hard after a couple blocks, sitting
can also be incredibly painful. Lying down even is
uncomfortable at times.
My primary care doctor told me to take Tylenol every 4 hours
and refered me for physical therapy--this was absolutely
useless. The 22 year old kid who saw me seemed to know
nothing about pregnancy and just suggested hamstring
stretches. I also didn't want to just take Tylenol for 5
months. It didn't help the pain anyway. I tried accupuncture,
but that actually seemed to make it worse.
Massage has worked really well--I have been getting
massage once a week and what it seems to do is just relax
all the muscles in my body making the pain in my leg seem
less. [I've been going to Cate Bristol, in Albany. She does
prenatal massage and has been amazing.] I also have my
husband massage the muscles in my butt and hips--those
are the muscles that seem to be spasming and pinching
the nerves.
The other thing that's worked really well is seeing a
chiropractor--I've been seeing Elon Bartlett. I can never
figure out what he does in a few minutes of massage and
cracking but it really, really helps. He also did a thorough
diagnoses and determined that it's not my sciatic nerve
that's being pinched but another one (I can't remember
which one it is!)
I've also been doing prenatal yoga and have learned some
stretches for that muscle group.
Cold packs seem to help--leave them on until the area is
numb. Heat only makes it feel worse.
I sleep on my left side with a body pillow--between my legs.
That helps also.
I've also been doing prenatal yoga and have learned some
stretches for that muscle group.
Cold packs seem to help--leave them on until the area is
numb. Heat only makes it feel worse.
I sleep on my left side with a body pillow--between my legs.
That helps also.
Basically, it seems that the muscles in my butt and hip are
just extremely tight as they try to hold up this growing body.
They are pinching nerves.
Nothing has made it go away, but the combination of what
I've done seems to have made it tollerable and seems to
have stopped it from getting worse. It was getting
progressively worse as I got bigger. The chiropractor
seemed to stop it from getting worse the best. I'm now 8 1/2
months pregnant and I'm hoping it stops once the baby is
born. The massage therapist and chiropractor believe it
will, but perhaps not immediately.
It's been really hard and demoralizing to not be able to move
or exercise or do basic things around the house like wash
dishes or cook much. But once I found ways to stop it from
getting worse, and accepted this condition, it's been easier.
I just sit a lot and rest. That helps the most. Whenever
possible, I lie down on my side.
Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have more
questions.
Elena
Pain originating in the low back & buttock area can be coming
from a number of different things. Most often pain results from
tight
muscles pulling abnormally on the spine. However it could come
from the spine or pelvis rotating abnormally causing pressure on
the nerves. Most common problem muscles during pregnancy:
weak abdominals from being overstretched, tight hamstrings (back
of the thigh), tight hip flexors (front of the hip) & quadriceps
(front thigh), and tight low back muscles from increased arch in
the back. Stretching and supportive strengthening can be quite
helpful in taking the edge off...as well as some soft tissue
work (i.e. massage). If the problem is more bone related from
increased joint laxity (thanks to all the Relaxin floating
around) then you may need a little help from a specialized
practitioner (i.e. Physical Therapist/Chiropractor) that
SPECIALIZES in working with pregnant women. (Not all PT's &
Chiropractors are abreast of the special needs during
pregnancy). Regardless, I would advise seeing a Physical
Therapist for an assessment and a home program then you'll have
tailored exercises and stretches to your needs.
Take care of yourself.
Kelli Manring, PT, MSPT
Sarah,
I recently went to my doctor about sciatica (I got it about a
month and a half ago) and she recommended that I ice the area at
least twice a day (a blue ice pack works really well) and for at
least 15 to 20 minutes. I found that sitting for any length of
time made the pain worse and walking around eased it somewhat,
so if you're sitting at your desk you should try to get up every
15 minutes or so to keep the area from getting sore. (One more
thing, my doctor also recommended accupuncture - you'd need to
check with your doctor about it. If your doctor says that
accupuncture is acceptable, I strongly recommend it - it really
eased the pain.)
Catie
I'm not writing to recommend home care for your sciatica because
I don't know of any, and I've seen a lot of sciatica cases in my
massage therapy practice. I'm hoping others write with ideas,
cause I'd love to know some. BUT....if you decide that you do
need outside help, I'd like to recommend Dr. Elon Bartlett, a
chiropractor I work with who specializes in pre and post natal
care (and infant and baby care). Elon is really good at what he
does and he sees a lot of pregnant women. He's very sweet and
gentle. His office number is 843-1234 and he's located at 2509
Milvia in Berkeley between Dwight Way and Blake St.
Along with chiropractic care, Elon will give you
exercise/stretch/posture suggestions to help you with the
sciatica. Good luck, I hope you find something that can help.
June Kamerling NCTMB
Hi, I had the same sciatica when I was carrying my twins. It
seems it was brought on by a pregnancy induced tilt of my tail
bone. My doc said that our joints and ligaments loosen up to
help with our expanding body and this sometimes can result in
one's tailbone tipping. Sitting in my office chair all day
really made my tailbone ache (nothing helped) and eventually my
left buttocks went numb. Occassionally I'd get shooting pain
down my leg, and could not walk easily. I sought physical
therapy, which helped. Precisely correct posture walking and
also rising and falling into a chair turned out to help. We
tend sway odd directions when we are compensating for pregnancy
weight and our posture can really pull us in odd ways. I also
started to use a cane which helped when I had trouble putting
weight on my leg.
But, when for the second time in a week I could not walk at all,
I was put on bed rest. Quitting the eight (or so) hours of
sitting in my office chair seemed to be the main problem (even
though it was ergonomically designed) because the sciatica and
tail bone pain ended about a week after I stopped working. It
didn't return the entire six weeks I was on bed rest.
anon mom of twin girls
Well, I have had that constant ache in my butt before and I
can sympathize that its not a fun feeling. It literally is a
pain in the you-know-what and no position really helps. What my
doc told me was that I needed to concentrate more on having
better posture during everyday things. If I am at the computer,
I always have one of my feet up on something. That also goes
for if you are standing a lot in one place- to just have a step
or something to put one of your feet up on. I guess maybe it
just changes the alignment of your spine or something and
relieves the pressure on the nerve that causes the pain. I hope
you feel better and maybe think about seeing a chiropractor?
Shaana
A late response, but hopefully helpful. Two ideas:
1. Take a pre-natal yoga class. There are good ones at 7th
Heaven in Berkeley with Deborah Saliby AND Yogalayam
with Saraswati on Alcatraz in Berkeley. Both are really
fantastic in different ways. They have a lot of stretches that
help. I learned about my next suggestion with Saraswati
2. Stand straight up, with your arms by your side. Just where
your middle finger touches your leg on the side that hurts,
press in on that spot with your finger for 30 seconds to one
minute. It's amazing but it works!
anon
Try a lot of back stretches, side stretches and hip flexor
stretches and above all stretch gently. Pelvic floor exercises
and pelvic tilts (you can even do these standing with bent
legs), cat stretches are all good. Sitting pelvic tilts can be a
good way to stretch the back as well as work the
abdominals. Also, cat stretches to the side. Another good
stretch that helps in some cases of sciatica is to stretch the
hip by placing one crossed leg over the other (looks like the
number 4). You can also do this standing laying one leg
over a ball and gently leaning forward. But the important
thing to remember is to stretch very gently- the hormonal
changes of pregnancy cause the ligaments to be much
looser so it is easy to overstretch. Hope this helps. I am a
pilates teacher and just taught through my pregnancy so
pregnancy issues are very fresh in my mind if you have any
questions. Also, while pregnant I took some lessons from
Jayne Moser, a another pilates teacher and she was really
excellent- very gentle and sensitive. Her number is
510-823-4296. Another resource that I found to be good
was Sarah Swathidevi's prenatal yoga class at Yogalayam.
Good luck.
andrea
Swim, swim, swim. Swimming stretches and strengthens your back
muscles relieving the pain on the sciatic nerve (according to my
doctor). I had sciatica with both pregnancies beginning in my
3rd month. If not for swimming I would not have been able to
walk. You can get an inexpensive community membership pass to
the Cal pools if you need access to a pool.
Anon
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