Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy: How Women Can Heal Chronic Pelvic Instability

Most of the time when people ask what has happened to me and I say that I developed Severe Pelvic Instabilty during pregnancy, they have no idea what I am talking about. So it is wonderful to have a resource available by someone who not only knows what it is, but has experienced it as well. This book goes through some of the factors that may have contributed to your development of PI, it explains what exactly is happening within your pelvis, and has a program of exercises to help relieve the pain and stabilize the pelvis. It also has a lot of interesting research and studies that the autor has conducted, and is separated into two sections - for the sufferer and for her therapist. I have found it an interesting and insightful read, however it does not replace the care and advice of a health professional. It also doesn't give much advice or attention to Symphysis Pubis joint (the front of the pelvis) complaints, focusing on the Sacroilic joints (where the pelvis meets the spine). As I have both, some of the suggestions and advice are the complete opposite of things that helped me with the Symphysis Pubis pain. Even though I am still suffering from PI problems, I have found this book very helpful and would recommend it to every woman suffering from pelvic pain. Now that I am getting a little more mobile I intend to try more of these exercises and techniques, and if I can avoid a wheelchair, bedrest, crutches and a long recovery for our next child, then any effort is worth it!

Physiotherapist Cecile Rost presents Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy: How Women Can Heal Chronic Pelvic Instability, a straightforward guide written for patients and their health care providers. Black-and-white diagrams illustrate simple exercises that have successfully relieved pelvic pain and its related symptoms for the author herself as well as ninety percent of her clients. Chapters discuss recommendations for preventing pelvic pain and dysfunction, tips on what to expect during and after delivery, pelvic exercises including symmetry exercises, stabilization exercises, and pelvic-floor exercises, and advice especially for therapists discussing everything from risk factors to post pregnancy care. In addition to exercises, Relieving Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy also has invaluable recommendations for preventing or reducing strain, such as illustrated step-by-step instructions for physically picking up one's child from bed ("Stand diagonally in relation to the bed. Legs are turned slightly outward. Bend at the knees and hips into a semisquatting position while keeping the spine straight. Position the baby as close to you as possible. Then pick the baby up and straighten your knees and hips while still keeping your back straight.") An absolute "must-have" for current and aspiring mothers, especially recommended as a baby shower gift.

Having suffered with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (a.k.a. SPD, Diastis Symphysis Pubis, pelvic girdle pain, and pregnancy-related pelvic pain) for most of two pregnancies now, I was very intrigued by this book that my sister gave me for Christmas. It was written by a physical therapist from the Netherlands who has had pelvic problems during her own pregnancies, and developed exercises to reduce the pain of SPD. One of the most interesting things about this book is that it goes counter to what I've often read (mostly on the Internet, since this is the first book I've ever come across that discussed this issue). Most advice runs along the lines of "keep your knees together ALL THE TIME." Rolling over, getting out of the car, when seated, etc. The author of this book says that this only exacerbates the problem (which is caused by misalignment in the sacro-iliac joint) and that symmetrical and stabilized movement is most important. Many of the exercises involve a knees-apart posture (which I would have thought would be excruciating to me, but I've found they actually help!), stretching and strengthening the muscles around the hips to help stabilize them. I like the author's methodology (large-scale research, well documented) and personal approach. I do have some beefs with the book, including a less-than-ideal layout (illustrations for exercises on different pages than the explanations) and some vagueness in the directions for the exercises (how long do I hold it? how many repetitions? how far away from me should my feet be? should I hold my back flat to the floor? Etc.) Overall, however, I felt the book was both a good overview of the causes of pregnancy-related pelvic pain that included an in-depth look of how it affects the lives of those who live with it. It has sections for both the layperson/patient and for physical therapists (I'm taking it with me the next time I go to PT). It's a good resource for those of us who have SPD and don't want to end up in a wheelchair or on crutches by the end of our pregnancies. I've tried the basic Symmetry and Stabilization exercises, and found them to be very helpful in relieving pain when I feel "out of whack." Also, as a result of the section on how SPD affects lifestyle, I have tried not to limit my range of motion while limiting the stress that I put on my pelvis. (One of the effects that SPD often has is to make you feel as if you will really hurt yourself if you go beyond a very limited range of motion, which is why I would have appreciated more explicit directions for the exercises.) Some of the basic "body mechanics" techniques I have found particularly helpful, especially the "how to roll over in bed" maneuver. I can now roll in bed relatively pain free (!) - which was impossible without outside assistance in my last pregnancy. I would recommend this book to anyone who has had pelvic pain during or after pregnancy - I wish I'd had it with my first pregnancy.