Has the dreaded Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) struck and brought with it pain, restricted movement and a feeling of helplessness?
What’s going on? You’re pregnant and supposed to be blooming but in reality are feeling more blooming fed-up and in pain than anything else!
The Symphysis Pubis is a joint that holds the two halves of your pelvis together, supported by a network of ligaments.
SPD occurs when the hormone relaxin is produced by the body during pregnancy. This is to allow the pelvic ligaments to soften and loosen in order for the baby to pass through your pelvis during birth.
However, sometimes the ligaments can loosen too much and too early before birth, which leaves the pelvis unstable, especially during weight-bearing movement. The fact that you’re carrying a growing baby also makes this worse, to the point that the symphysis pubis joint actually separates slightly.
The result of this is pain in the pubic area, which can be severe and is exacerbated by movement. Not ideal when you don’t always have the opportunity to sit and rest!
General recommendations tend to be rest, painkillers, physiotherapy, a pelvic support and, if needed, crutches. But did you know that specialised techniques used in Maternity Reflexology has been known to bring relief from the pain of SPD?
One of our lovely clients shares her story:
Anna was expecting her second baby and was suffering from SPD (otherwise known as Pelvic Girdle Pain) and sciatica, so she decided to try reflexology to see if it would help her pregnancy-associated problems.
“I started having reflexology with Nicky when I was 34 weeks pregnant and experiencing quite a lot of pain in my pelvis.
The symphysis pubis pressure point on each foot was very tender when Nicky applied pressure and took a long time to ease which correlated with the pain I was experiencing in my pelvis. The rest of the reflexology session was more general. It was fabulous – so relaxing.
I always slept extremely well after a session and to begin with, the pain eased in my pelvis for a day or so before coming back.
However, as the weeks went on the tenderness in my feet eased and the pelvic pain went away for a longer period after each session, and my sciatica all but disappeared!
I was truly amazed as the very nature of SPD means it will only get worse until the birth – not better. But my pain was actually improving and I couldn’t believe it.
By the end of my pregnancy I was able to walk short distances, I was sleeping well and I could move about and bend much more easily. I’d also had one session of cranial osteopathy to help straighten me out, as Nicky had noticed that my left side was slightly out of alignment and this could have been the reason why my sciatica and pelvic pain was particularly bad on my left side.
It was unbelievable as in my first pregnancy I could not walk by the end and my pelvic pain had been really quite debilitating. Reflexology greatly helped my SPD and sciatica as well as my general wellbeing and I really wish I’d known more about the benefits it and about Nicky during my first pregnancy.
I don’t know how to thank her enough for helping me and I would highly recommend both Nicky and reflexology to anyone experiencing similar problems during pregnancy. It does work and you will be amazed at the results.