A month after giving birth, my pubic bone hurts. Why does the pubic bone hurt and swell after childbirth?

Orthopedic traumatologist, first category surgeon, Research Institute, 2009

Pregnancy is always a huge burden on a woman’s body. It especially increases in the third trimester, when the baby grows up and puts pressure on almost everything. internal organs. However, childbirth can also be a serious challenge.

According to statistics, more than half of new mothers complain that their pelvic bones hurt after childbirth. This syndrome may indicate serious problems in a woman’s body, and therefore there is no point in delaying a visit to the doctor. Deals with such issues narrow specialist– a vertebrologist who will not ignore any pain in the hip joint after childbirth, will prescribe a serious examination, and after receiving its results will give recommendations for treatment.

Disappointing statistics indicate that pelvic bones hurt after childbirth not only in women predisposed to diseases of the pelvis and spine. Even quite healthy young ladies that lead passive image life, move little, eat poorly and work in a sedentary job, and may complain of hip pain after childbirth. Lack of movement significantly weakens the body of the expectant mother, this applies to both the pelvic bones and muscles. After delivery naturally such women may complain about unpleasant symptoms, including on:

• Pulling and dull ache, which can be constant and worsen during movements or even during sleep;
• Feeling of tightness in the muscles;
• Limited movement;
• Muscle spasm that long time does not pass.

Immediately after these symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor. He will conduct an examination, prescribe a diagnosis and find the root cause of the pain.

Features and needs of diagnostics

Pelvic pain after childbirth is a condition that, in pathology, almost never goes away on its own. Over time, unpleasant sensations can only increase, and therefore you can’t procrastinate, you should immediately consult a doctor. The doctor will decide what kind of research will be needed to identify the cause of pelvic pain after childbirth. Among the methods used:

After necessary examination You can make a diagnosis and establish the cause of the pain that occurs. The patient may be diagnosed with symphysitis, the severity of which will depend on the distance between the pelvic bones. There are several stages of the disease: I – up to 1 cm, II – up to 1.99 cm, III – 2.0 cm or more. If the third stage is detected, the doctor may make another diagnosis - “rupture of the symphysis pubis.”

Causes of pain syndrome

If after childbirth your leg hurts in the hip and pelvic area, an examination will be required. It can reveal displacement of the pelvic bones during childbirth. In some cases, the tailbone and pelvic bones may also become displaced. This is necessary to free the fetus to pass through birth canal. Nature intended for this process to be virtually painless, since the woman’s body prepares for this for a long time. And while the woman may not notice the displacement itself, the process of return is quite noticeable, and therefore can bring a lot of suffering. Often young mothers complain that their hips hurt after childbirth. This may indicate that:

• There is a lack of calcium in the body - during gestation and during delivery, calcium is simply washed out of the body, and therefore the body lacks resources, which is indicated by pain syndromes.
• Softening of the tissues has occurred - this is natural process, which is due to an increase a certain hormone, which is secreted by the body to calm the woman in labor. Since the tissues cannot perform the functions assigned to them, this leads to pain.
• Sprained ligaments and muscles are a condition that can also cause discomfort.
• Birth trauma is what most often explains why the hip joint hurts after childbirth. Dislocation, bone fracture, tissue rupture - all this can cause severe pain. Failure to see a doctor in a timely manner can lead to bones not healing properly. And this will already entail a change in gait.

The role of calcium in the mother's condition

Already at 30–34 weeks, you can notice that the pregnant woman begins to involuntarily tilt her body back, trying to shift her weight. Nature has also provided something else - a change in gait to a “duck” one, when a woman shifts from one foot to the other. But by this point future mommy He already has time to get used to the unpleasant stretching in the lumbar region, even to the pain. They may be provoked insufficient quantity calcium. This causes the development of symphysiopathy, which is why the doctor observing the pregnant woman necessarily prescribes calcium.

Medicines strengthen bones and also reduce pain. However, you should not be zealous in taking it - the dosage is strictly observed to avoid negative consequences, which includes the formation of kidney stones. The right approach to solve this problem excludes painful sensations and after childbirth.

Symphysis

If the pelvis hurts after childbirth, the cause may be a change in the structure of soft tissues - dense cartilage and symphysis, located in the area of ​​the pubis and pelvic bone. Divergence bone tissue after childbirth is no longer uncommon, and this condition can lead to sharp and severe pain, which often does not go away on its own, but only increases. Painful condition can be so strong that it is difficult for a woman to walk or stand normally.

Treatment of symphysis

What to do if your pelvis hurts after childbirth? Contact a verterbrologist or another doctor who will examine the patient and take rational decision about the need for treatment. Sometimes the body copes on its own, but this is in the case of minimal damage. If the pain continues for a long time after childbirth, serious treatment will be required. The doctor decides whether it is necessary:

Quite often, doctors advise combining bed rest with gymnastics. You should not select exercises yourself; an osteopath should work with the patient. He also assesses the condition and makes a decision about the possibility/impossibility of performing a group of exercises.

Preventive measures

To prevent injury during childbirth, as well as the development pathological conditions, follows:

During pregnancy and childbirth musculoskeletal system women are experiencing significant transformations. In order to make it easier for a newborn baby to pass through the birth canal latest dates The pelvic bones begin to diverge, the cartilaginous tissue softens. After childbirth, reverse changes occur, which may be accompanied by significant pain. Most often, the pain is localized in the pubic bone area. Why does this happen and how to reduce it pain syndrome?

What causes pain?

The pelvic bones are connected in front by the pubic symphysis. The symphysis is the pubic articulation of the pelvic bones, surrounded on all sides by ligaments. Its width does not exceed 1 cm and it has very limited motor capabilities. During pregnancy, the pubic joint gains some mobility and stretches. This occurs under the influence of the hormone relaxin secreted by the placenta and ovaries, which helps soften the cartilage and ligaments at the junction of the pubic bones to facilitate the passage of the child through the birth canal.

In the last stages of pregnancy, relaxin is produced more and more intensely, causing the appearance of gaps in the joints, swelling of cartilage tissue, increasing the mobility of the pelvic joints and the distances between the pelvic bones. The pubic symphysis also increases, usually by 5–6 mm. Very often such changes in musculoskeletal system accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Almost all women experience a little pain before giving birth pubic bone and this is considered the norm.

However, in some cases, the softening of the pubic joint occurs too much, which leads to hypermobility of the bones and swelling of the pubis. This condition is called symphysiopathy, is accompanied by severe pain and requires consultation with a doctor.

Women with this pathology develop a characteristic “duck” gait. If the pelvic bones hurt very much when walking or turning from side to side during sleep, the doctor prescribes an ultrasound examination of the woman, as well as a consultation with a gynecologist and surgeon to determine the cause of the pain. The birth of a baby is one of the happiest events in a woman’s life. It is also the most painful. After all, the process of childbirth is not always calm and quick. It involves complex mechanisms the work of the reproductive system, the components of which are the divergence of the pelvic bones. The woman’s body prepares for this process in advance, which is accompanied by significant discomfort and pain. When, after childbirth, do the pelvic bones return to their proper position? natural position

? What are the features of this process?

About the timing of the convergence of the pelvic bones The postpartum period is a time no less important than pregnancy itself. This is why many experts call it the tenth month. For nine months actively prepared for the birth of the baby, adjusted to his needs, and endured discomfort. Therefore, it is not surprising that the recovery period after childbirth cannot be quick. Only to recover reproductive system, it takes at least 6-8 weeks, after which the woman needs to see a gynecologist.

Major changes to female body When carrying a child, they occur due to the action of hormones. During pregnancy, they are actively produced, which is necessary for the healthy development of the fetus, preparation of ligaments and bones for upcoming birth. After the baby appears, the woman’s body again undergoes hormonal changes. Those hormones that were responsible for the development of the child fade into the background; the hormone prolactin, necessary for the production of breast milk. The process of restoration of a woman’s body after childbirth is called involution. It also provides for the convergence of the pelvic bones.

What happened to them before the baby was born? Obstetricians-gynecologists state that the divergence of the pelvic bones occurs immediately before childbirth. Essentially this is softening cartilage tissue in the area of ​​the pubic symphysis, the divergence of the bones does not go beyond one and a half to two centimeters. After childbirth, there cannot be a lightning-fast return to their original state. Even if the birth was easy and quick, the bones will return to their natural position for a long time. Often it takes all postpartum period, that is, 6-8 weeks.

About gymnastics after childbirth

Experts recommend that new mothers do not delay in completing special exercises postpartum gymnastics. As soon as your health allows, you need to start. The main goal of such gymnastics is to prevent the negative consequences of childbirth in the pelvic area, for example, urinary incontinence or symphysitis, or uterine prolapse.

After the baby is born, the pelvic bones return to their place after some time, but some mothers are sure that their hip volume increases during childbirth, but this is not so.

Thanks to restorative gymnastics, muscles are strengthened pelvic floor, improving contractile activity uterus and it returns to its original size. So, you should start doing these exercises:

1. Abdominal retraction. You need to lie on your back, bend your knees, and press your feet to the floor. Your palms should be on your stomach. It must be pulled in very strongly as you exhale and hold this position, first for 3-4 seconds, then 6-10. The exercise is repeated after a deep and slow breath.
2. Bridge. The starting position of the body is the same. After exhaling, you need to raise your pelvis, tighten your buttocks and pull in your stomach. At the same time, the head is raised and the chin is pressed to the chest. This is a difficult exercise, the number of repetitions must be increased gradually.
3. Raising your legs. Lying on your back with your legs straight, you need to slowly lift each of them up in turn. In this case, you need to pull the sock towards you. Exercises must be performed at a slow pace.
4. Cat. The exercise is performed from a position on all fours. You need to bend your back and round it with a wheel, while drawing in your stomach. The exercise tightens the muscles of the abs, back, and buttocks.
5. Squats. Performed slowly from a standing position. You need to squat so that your hips form a right angle with the floor. At the same time, straight arms are extended forward. At the end of the execution, you can spring on your bent legs, increasing the static load and straining your abs.

So, performing postpartum gymnastics will help the woman regain her shape and the pelvic bones will quickly return to their original position.

Carrying a child involves putting stress on the entire body of the expectant mother, including the hip joints.

Sometimes pain in the pelvis occurs in the last trimester and continues after delivery, and such a pathology can even affect healthy women.

Effect of pregnancy on bones

Hormones produced during pregnancy have the following effects on the bones of the skeleton:

1. Soon after fertilization, vasodilation occurs bone joints and the liquid content in them increases. This promotes a gradual expansion of the volume of the pelvic bones, allowing the fetus to develop comfortably.
2. The increase in hormone levels continues until 35 weeks.
3. By the time of delivery, sharp changes in hormone levels occur, which contributes to accelerated expansion of the pelvis.

Often, against the background of these processes, women complain of the appearance of pain in the pelvic area.

Main reasons

The pelvic bones hurt after childbirth for the following reasons:

1. during and after delivery. Bone structures shift, providing better ways to promote the baby during childbirth. The initial change in the position of the bones is practically not felt by the pregnant woman, but their return to their original position after childbirth is associated with severe pain.
2. Lack of calcium also leads to pain in the pelvic area. This is due to the fact that this microelement is actively washed away both during pregnancy and after childbirth.
3. Stretching of the muscles or connective tissue formations that connect the bones of the skeleton. This happens during pregnancy, and after delivery, the stretched ligaments lose functionality, so they try to compensate for this bone structures, which are not physiologically designed for this.
4. Injury received during childbirth. This may be a dislocation or disruption of the integrity of the pelvic bones. And if the woman in labor was under anesthesia, then the presence of a fracture will not be immediately known. Women with such injuries often complain of severe pain after childbirth, and there is also a risk of improper bone healing.

In addition, among the causes of pain in the pelvic area there are also: changes in the hormonal levels of a pregnant woman, overweight, exacerbation hidden diseases.

Symptoms

Treatment

Often women are interested in what to do if their pelvis hurts after childbirth. Before taking any therapeutic measures, it is necessary to find out exact reason the appearance of pain after childbirth. But even before the diagnosis is clarified, it would be correct to limit physical activity.

In addition, the woman in labor must wear a bandage, as well as her sleeping area must be properly organized. To restore calcium balance after childbirth, a woman should take a multivitamin and mineral complex that contains calcium in an easily digestible form.

If, against the background of pain in the hip joints after childbirth, the examination revealed infectious pathology, then the use of antibiotics may be necessary. Oral and parenteral painkillers may also be prescribed to the woman in labor. In addition, if the symptoms are pronounced, manual techniques will relieve pain.

Physiotherapy

Exercise therapy for symphysitis after childbirth is aimed at strengthening or increasing muscle tone pelvis and perineum. If you exercise several times a day, the pain syndrome will become less pronounced over time. However, it should be remembered that physical activity with this pathology must be strictly controlled, and any therapeutic exercises on initial stage must be performed under the supervision of an orthopedist.

Folk remedies

One of the most popular recipes is a decoction of geranium, which is used during bathing.

To prepare the decoction, take 4 g of dry crushed geranium leaves and pour 800 ml of boiling water over them, then keep them on low heat for 10 minutes. After this, the broth is infused for about half an hour, filtered and poured into the bath.

In addition, a woman should reconsider her eating habits. She should drink more fermented milk products and other foods that contain a lot of calcium (dried fruits, bananas). She should also give up fatty, fried, and spicy foods.

Prevention during pregnancy

To some extent avoid pelvic pain after delivery these will help preventive recommendations:

Besides, great importance It has general state health, so a pregnant woman should promptly treat everything accompanying pathologies, which can affect calcium metabolism or hormonal levels.

Childbirth is a complex process involving many body systems. After the birth of a child, a woman in labor feels weak, tired, and sometimes painful sensations. Thus, 50% of women have pain in their pelvic bones after childbirth, which causes them discomfort and prevents them from living fully and caring for their child.

Causes of pain

Causes of discomfort in pelvic bones some. They are associated with changes that allow the body to adapt to pregnancy and ensure the passage of the child through the birth canal.

Drawing or sharp pain with shooting in the pelvic area is a reason to consult a doctor for examination and treatment.

Possible diseases

Many pregnant women experience a disease such as symphysitis. The pubic bones are connected to each other by a fibrocartilaginous disc called the symphysis. Under the influence of hormones and fetal pressure, the symphysis stretches by 5–6 mm or more. As this discrepancy increases and inflammation joins, symphysitis is diagnosed.

Symphysitis is characterized by painful sensations when walking, changing body position, and physical activity. The gait changes (becomes similar to that of a duck), discomfort appears when urinating and defecating.

The disease is diagnosed by palpation. When pressing on the symphysis in pubic area arises sharp pain. Also used for diagnostics ultrasonography, which, however, allows for small errors. The most accurate degree of symphysitis allows you to determine X-ray examination. If the discrepancy is more than 1 cm, doctors may decide to refer you for a caesarean section.

Rupture of the symphysis during childbirth is a rare phenomenon that requires surgical intervention and long-term bed rest for several months.

Postpartum recovery includes a number of measures to connect the separated parts of the symphysis pubis and limit their movement:

1. Bed rest and reduction physical activity. During the first time after childbirth, women need to reduce their workload and, if possible, entrust the care of the child to their relatives.
2. Bandage. Special bandages have been developed that wrap around the thighs and limit mobility. hip joints and pubic bones.
3. Visiting an osteopath. As your condition improves, your doctor will prescribe a set of physical therapy exercises.
4. Restoring vitamin and mineral balance to strengthen bones and connective tissue.
5. Anti-inflammatory therapy and physiotherapy in a day hospital.

The course of treatment is drawn up individually after examination and consultation with a therapist, gynecologist, osteopath and surgeon. In some cases, surgery with the introduction of steel supporting structures is prescribed.

How to relieve pain

Severe pain in the coccyx and pubic area is relieved with painkillers, conditionally permitted for breastfeeding: Ibuprofen, Paracetamol. At artificial feeding You can take any effective painkillers for which the mother in labor has no individual contraindications: Pentalgin, Ketanov, No-shpa, etc.

It happens that stress and unstable hormonal levels depress the central nervous system and change the perception of pain. In this case, it is recommended to take sedatives that are relatively safe during breastfeeding: Glycine, Valerian, Motherwort tablets.

Preventive measures

Prevention of symphysitis during pregnancy helps to avoid postpartum complications.

1. Recommended to do special gymnastics, stretching and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
2. During an uncomplicated pregnancy, you need to walk a lot, go for walks fresh air. Walking helps strengthen the musculoskeletal system, and ultra-violet rays enhance the production of vitamin D, necessary for the absorption of calcium.
3. It is necessary to take a vitamin-mineral complex, which includes calcium and phosphorus, which help strengthen bones and connective tissue.
4. Proper nutrition combined with moderate physical activity helps maintain normal balance useful substances, providing wellness and the functioning of body systems that will be involved in childbirth.

Many pregnant and postpartum women experience pain in their pelvic bones. This is due to the changed hormonal levels, increased load and is a variant of the norm. Paying attention to yourself, observing your sensations, regular examinations and following your doctor’s recommendations will help you avoid injuries and recover quickly after the birth of your child.