What does hip pain indicate during pregnancy?

Pain in the hip joint during pregnancy appears as a result of significant changes in the female body. Starting from the second trimester of fetal development, a powerful processing of a woman’s metabolic functions occurs. The future person needs to be fed, protected from damage, warmed and provided with high-quality physiological development. All these components increase the load on the female body and musculoskeletal system.

Possible causes of pain in the hip joint during and after pregnancy will be discussed in this material.

Causes of pain during and after pregnancy

Painful discomfort in women during pregnancy can be caused by various conditions. Causes of unpleasant symptoms of hip pain during pregnancy:

• hormonal imbalance;
• increased load on the pelvis due to an enlarged uterus;
• insufficient calcification of articular segments;
• reflective pain as a result of old injuries or chronic pathologies;
• dysfunction of the pubic symphysis.

How the spine and hip angle are deformed during pregnancy.
Let us consider in detail each of the possible complications.

How does pain in the hip joints and pelvis manifest during pregnancy?

It will be useful to imagine the anatomical structure: the pelvis is a large bone formation at the base of the spine, which is located in the lower part of the torso. On both sides of the pelvis are the hip joints, which connect the thigh bones to the pelvis.

When there is pain in the pelvis or hip joints, it can be difficult to determine the exact location of the sensation. Sometimes such pain can even be mistaken for back pain, especially if it radiates to other places, and back pain occurs in many women during pregnancy. At the same time, pain is felt in different ways: for some it is a sharp and sudden painful sensation, for others it is a constant dull ache. Both may occur at different stages of pregnancy. Your attending physician will make an accurate diagnosis.

Pelvic pain is quite common during pregnancy. It can be dull and sharp, constant and intermittent, minor and strong. It can even radiate to the lower back, buttocks and thighs. Pelvic pain may occur with certain movements, such as walking, or in certain positions, such as when you lie down to sleep.

Be sure to tell your doctor if the pain interferes with your normal lifestyle, gets worse over time, or becomes severe immediately. It is also worth consulting with him if the pain is accompanied by dizziness, vaginal bleeding or high fever.

Hormonal changes

During pregnancy, endogenous steroids - progesterone and estrogen - are actively reproduced in the female body, which affect the reproductive system of the woman and the embryo. Both sex hormones have a number of physiological effects that activate metabolic processes in the body of the mother and unborn child. Progesterone activity increases only in the presence of estrogen. The hormone is responsible for transferring the endometrium to the secretory stage, reduces immune defense and the contractility of the uterine muscles so that the woman’s body safely accepts the embryo.

Estrogen stimulates the development and preparation of the uterus, fallopian tubes and vagina for pregnancy, and helps improve the ducts of the mammary glands.

In addition to the positive effects of hormonal steroids, there are negative aspects. Since all the efforts of female sex hormones are aimed at the reproductive system and embryonic support, bone and joint saturation with nutrients is significantly depleted. The cartilage tissue softens, the muscles relax, and the elasticity of the ligamentous-tendon apparatus increases. Under the influence of these factors, the woman’s body is rebuilt, that is, preparations are underway for future childbirth. This condition explains one of the reasons why hip pain occurs during pregnancy.

Prevention of pain in the hip joint during pregnancy

Preventive measures are necessary if the woman’s medical record already indicates diseases of the hip joints.

At the first attacks of pain, simple instructions will help prevent the development of pathology.

• Increased calcium intake. It is found in cottage cheese, cheese, liver, eggs. Some women grind eggshells in a blender or coffee grinder and take 1 tsp. 2 times a day. A reliable source are specialized vitamin and mineral complexes for pregnant women with a high content of this element.
• Regular rest during the day and enough sleep in a comfortable position relieves excess stress on the spinal column and pelvis and helps normalize the emotional state.
• Weight control. A well-designed diet helps a pregnant woman get all the beneficial substances, and also avoid bouts of hunger that provoke overeating. You should avoid eating baked goods, fast food and any food based on dyes and preservatives (chips, soda, store-bought sweets). Reasonable restriction of fats, especially animals, will help a woman avoid debilitating diets after childbirth. You should give preference to fruits, nuts (no more than 100 grams per day), boiled or stewed vegetables, fish and lean meat. Buckwheat, brown rice, and rolled oats will satiate and provide energy to the expectant mother.
• Comfortable clothing and safe flat shoes. There should be no tight elastic bands or tight pants.
• Moderate physical activity corresponding to the current trimester. Gymnastics, yoga for pregnant women, and water aerobics are shown. Muscles and ligaments are strengthened, endurance increases. Exercises should affect not only the back, but also the shoulders, arms, hips and knees, developing joints and preventing muscle atrophy. It is recommended to take a course of special gymnastics in groups for expectant mothers.
• Bandages and orthopedic belts relieve the joint and support the growing belly, preventing the appearance of stretch marks.
• It is necessary to ensure that your posture always remains correct. Slouching shifts the center of gravity even further, loading the pelvis in an unnatural way.
• Lifting heavy objects is strictly prohibited. This is dangerous not only for the child, but also threatens fractures of weakened bones.
• Light morning exercise improves overall metabolism and warms up your joints at the beginning of the day. Blood circulation improves, reducing the risk of injury.

Pregnancy is a special condition of the female body that requires increased attention and responsibility. The additional load that the pelvis naturally takes on deforms the bones and can cause injury. If there were prerequisites for the development of diseases before the term, the woman should independently take care of additional prevention by purchasing a bandage and comfortable clothes in advance. You can start taking calcium several months before conception.

Increased stress and mineral deficiency

Intrauterine development of the fetus contributes to a woman’s natural weight gain. During the entire period of bearing a child, the expectant mother can gain from 10 to 15 kg of excess weight.

Weight gain begins to actively manifest itself in the third trimester of pregnancy. The uterus is enlarged to the maximum, a layer of subcutaneous fat is formed. All these factors negatively affect the biomechanics of the spinal column and pelvis. The main load is borne by the pelvic bones and hips.

Such transformations in the osteoarticular apparatus of the supporting system cannot take place without leaving a trace. A woman complains of pain in the osteoarticular region of the pelvis, hip joint, ankle and distal limbs. As a rule, these are aching and/or nagging pain.

The skeleton of a future person begins to form at 7-8 weeks , and therefore it requires active saturation with mineral components, which can only be obtained from its mother. During this period, the female body requires an increased rate of calcination. In fact, the mother's required calcium intake increases threefold. To activate the mineralization of the musculoskeletal and ligamentous systems, the expectant mother also needs to consume as much vitamin D as possible.

Due to insufficient mineralization and natural stress during pregnancy, the hip joint hurts.

Bone pain during pregnancy

General information

Bone pain during pregnancy is a fairly common occurrence, occurring in 15-25% of pregnant women. In most cases, this condition is associated with a violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism, namely with decalcification and softening of the bone skeleton. Essentially, osteomalacia in pregnant women is a lack of vitamin D and calcium.
Usually the bones of the legs, as well as the spine, may hurt due to the constantly growing volume of the abdomen and weight gain. In addition, pain can be affected by concomitant diseases that worsen during this difficult period.

Causes of bone pain during pregnancy

In some cases, bone pain during pregnancy may be associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system:

• rheumatoid arthritis;
• coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint);
• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• dermatomyositis.

These diseases pose quite a serious danger to both the expectant mother and the fetus, so it is necessary to distinguish them from a transient lack of calcium and vitamin D. Severe forms of osteomalacia in pregnant women are rare. Such conditions are accompanied by immobilization and pathological fractures (without the action of external mechanical force). Severe osteomalacia in pregnant women is an indication for termination of pregnancy.

In most pregnant women, we are most often talking about the so-called symphysiopathy: pain is localized in the pubic symphysis, pelvic bones, legs, and muscles. General weakness and fatigue may appear. Some pregnant women experience changes in their gait. In such a situation, it is valuable to conduct an ultrasound examination of the pubic fusion: divergence of the bones of the pubic symphysis is detected.

Prevention and treatment

In order to avoid the need for complex surgery, a woman should take appropriate measures in a timely manner. Ideally, take preventive measures even before conception: a maximally active lifestyle, proper diet, exercise in the pool. However, if the problem takes you by surprise, it is strongly recommended to take appropriate multivitamin complexes. It will also be necessary to take additional calcium supplements , and some limitation of physical activity and even wearing a special bandage.

In order to be able to relieve pain or simply avoid repeated severe attacks, as well as to really reduce all possible risks, you should adhere to certain simple rules:

• Limit climbing stairs and walking for too long.
• It is strongly recommended not to sit in one place for a long time, at least more than one hour.
• Sitting or even lying on anything too hard is prohibited.

It has been precisely noted that severe pain can be aggravated by an asymmetrical position of the woman’s body. When standing for a long time, try to distribute the weight as evenly as possible on both legs, and, for example, when sitting, do not put your legs on top of each other. Always try to use only comfortable chairs with properly adjustable backrests and, of course, armrests.

For example, if your job requires you to sit in a car for a long time, try to ensure that your knees are never higher than your pelvis. Try to eat only those foods that are as rich in calcium , or take appropriate vitamin complexes that also contain calcium.

Be sure to monitor your weekly weight gain. After all, excess weight can provoke an increase in such pain. Try to unload the problematic hip joint . For example, place a few tall pillows or even folded blankets under your feet. You can also slip another equally hard pillow under your buttocks, slightly lifting your pelvis. In this way, you can reduce the pressure of the growing fetus on the entire lumbar region and, of course, the pubis.

Referring pains

The cause of pain symptoms in the hip joint may be chronic inflammation of the osteoarticular segment of a rheumatic (arthritis) or arthrological (osteoarthrosis, coxitis) nature. With chronic arthritis, the inflammatory process can worsen in the hip joint due to the heavy load on the joints.

There are other etiological and pathogenetic mechanisms that involve the destruction of articular cartilage and subchondral bone:

• aseptic inflammation of the joints as a result of an extra-articular infection;
• hereditary predisposition to rheumatic diseases;
• infectious damage to articular cartilage by a bacterial, viral or infectious-allergic agent;
• stiffness and painful discomfort can be caused by a cutaneous form of psoriasis - psoriatic arthropathy.

What healthy and diseased joints look like.
A more complex transformation of a degenerative-dystrophic disorder, when the hip joint hurts during pregnancy, is deforming osteoarthritis. In addition to pain symptoms in the hip joint, the woman feels a limitation in her range of motion. Abduction and adduction of the leg becomes problematic; pain is felt not only when walking, but also at rest.

With such a clinical pathology, the entire period of pregnancy will be accompanied by constant pain attacks. After childbirth, urgent treatment is necessary.

How to get rid of hip and pelvic pain during pregnancy

It is best to consult a doctor. Your doctor may give the following advice:

• take breaks if you have to stand for a long time
• don't lift weights
• exercise regularly, but without fanaticism (before starting new workouts, discuss them with your doctor)
• take a warm bath
• keep your posture
• put a pillow between your knees before going to bed
• apply a heating pad to areas where pain is felt
• do Kegel exercises
• wear a special bandage

In addition, the doctor may prescribe a pain reliever, physical therapy, or recommend special exercises to relieve pain in the hip joints or pelvis.

Pain in the pelvic area and hip joints is common in pregnant women. It's unpleasant, but know that it's just a natural process.

FAQ

• Closer to childbirth, you may feel pressure in the pelvic area. This is how your baby moves lower to the pelvis, preparing to be born. The medical term for this is abdominal prolapse. Typically, abdominal prolapse occurs several weeks or even hours before the birth itself.
• Yes. During pregnancy, the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic area stretch to make room for the growing fetus, and therefore pain may occur.
• Pelvic pain is common during pregnancy. To eliminate possible complications and alleviate the condition, consult a doctor.

Dysfunction of the pubic symphysis

Arthritis of the hip joint, or dysfunction of the symphysis pubis, is a fairly convincing argument for pain in the hip area. Having “learned” about pregnancy, the female body begins to actively prepare for childbirth. All articulating segments of the small and large pelvis begin to moderately soften, including the vertical connection of the upper branches of the pubic bones located in the middle of the pelvis - the pubic symphysis. By stretching, it will further facilitate the unhindered passage of the fetus through the mother’s bony pelvis.

In exceptional cases, physiological processes occur that exceed natural boundaries. Then pain occurs in the pelvic joint of varying degrees of intensity. Excessive relaxation of the osteoarticular joints of the pelvis can lead to rupture during childbirth.

A calming factor is dysfunction of the pubic symphysis, in which the hip joint hurts, disappears after childbirth. The causes of dysfunction of the symphysis pubis during pregnancy are metabolic, biochemical, hormonal or anatomical components.

Clinical signs of dysfunction:

• painful shooting localization in the symphysis;
• irradiation of the pain reflex to the groin area, lower abdomen, thigh or ankle joint;
• increased pain discomfort most often manifests itself during active actions: walking, bending and turning the body, when abducting the hip to the side;
• difficulties with bowel movements and urination.

Also, pain in the symphysis can be aching or pulling, causing a woman to experience unmotivated constant fatigue.

Possible complications after childbirth

Often, women even after childbirth have pain in the hip joint, and this is not always associated with pelvic deformation. In most cases, the female body, which has suffered physiological stress during childbirth, responds with periodically occurring pain in one or another anatomical area.

Dr. Sperling's recovery recommendations:

Thus, pain in the hip joint sometimes becomes a projecting reflection of pain symptoms in the lumbosacral spine. During pregnancy, all muscles, tendons and ligaments of the anatomical parts of vital activity were stretched, lengthened or, conversely, became shorter.

It takes time for the entire musculoskeletal system and ligamentous joints to return to normal. The exception is chronic diseases of neurological pathologies, which the attending physician should have known about before birth.

Causes of pain in the pelvic area

Pelvic pain in the early stages of pregnancy is usually not a cause for concern. It is due to the fact that the bones and ligaments move slightly to make room for the growing fetus.

Sometimes in the early stages of pregnancy or in the last weeks of the first trimester, pelvic pain can be a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized egg attaches to a surface other than the uterus, such as the fallopian tube. Other symptoms of ectopic pregnancy: acute or nagging pain in the lower abdomen, bleeding from the genital tract (outside the menstrual period), pain during intercourse, as well as dizziness or weakness. An ectopic pregnancy requires medical intervention, so if you notice these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately.

In the third trimester, pain in the pelvic area can be caused by excess weight, as well as the effect of pregnancy hormones. The ligaments of the pelvis are normally rigid and hard. During pregnancy, the hormone relaxin is released, which relaxes the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic area to facilitate the passage of the baby through the birth canal. However, if the ligaments are relaxed too much, an unpleasant sensation may occur in the pelvic area.

Also in late pregnancy, the fetus descends into the pelvis, preparing for birth. As a result, pressure on the pelvis, hip joints and bladder increases. But this also means that very soon your baby will be born and you will literally be able to breathe freely, because nothing else will put pressure on your lungs. If your due date has not yet arrived, pressure in the pelvis or lower abdomen may indicate preterm labor, so if you notice these signs, consult your doctor right away. Premature birth may also be accompanied by dull pain in the lower back, bleeding from the vagina, or periodic contractions.

Sometimes pelvic pain can be a symptom of a urinary tract infection. If you have a high fever or a burning sensation when urinating, consult your doctor for a treatment plan.

Recovery after childbirth

For a woman, the postpartum recovery period is very important, since the musculoskeletal system undergoes many changes at the very beginning of pregnancy. As the load on the hip joints and lumbosacral spine increases, the muscle ligamentous-tendon functionality completely changes.

During pregnancy, there is a slight shift in the center of gravity of the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, women often have problems with mobility in the knee, hip and lumbar joints. This situation leads to complicating pain symptoms. A woman who has given birth experiences pain in the joints, aches in the bones, and sometimes muscle spasms in the form of cramps.

Excess weight enhances the pain response, which can eventually transform into obesity, which leads to further provocation in the form of cardiovascular pathologies or the formation of metabolic syndromes.

Video about the nuances of excess weight during pregnancy:

Pregnancy means the appearance of stretch marks on the skin in the most undesirable places for a woman. All this negatively affects the well-being of sensitive and psychologically unstable individuals, causing them postpartum depression and a decrease in psychomotor reaction.

It is important that during the postpartum period a woman has a qualified mentor who would develop a special program for comprehensive and individual recovery. In some regional and district centers, specialized centers for postpartum rehabilitation have long existed.

When turning to specialists, the female body receives:

• slim and fit figure;
• strengthening the osteoarticular and muscle corset of the hip and lumbar girdle;
• reduction of subcutaneous fat;
• improvement of psychological and general physical condition;
• normalization of your own weight.

Consultation on individual postpartum recovery programs and treatment of certain diseases can be obtained by calling:

• In Rostov-on-Don: Family clinic “9 months”, tel. 8 (863) 288-00-00.
• In Vladivostok: Sports and recreation center, tel..
• In Sochi: Shaping Federation of Sochi, tel. 7 (918) 918-45-99.
• In Moscow: V.I. Dikul Center, tel.,.

Why does hip pain occur during pregnancy?

Why does the hip joint hurt during pregnancy? This is the question asked by approximately 75% of women who are in an “interesting position.” This is the number of expectant mothers who suffer from pathologies associated with deformation of the pelvic bones during the preparation of the birth canal. Similar problems begin in the last trimester. At this time, the woman’s body weight is already changing significantly, her posture is changing with a redistribution of the shock-absorbing load along the spinal column. There is a significant divergence of the pelvic bones with the formation of passable birth bones.

All this leads to pain in the hip joint during pregnancy, which goes away after childbirth and full recovery. But the absence of unpleasant sensations does not guarantee that all the shock-absorbing properties of the cartilaginous synovial tissue in the cavity of the acetabulum have been fully restored. As the practice of postpartum examination shows, 6-8 months after childbirth, women who did not pay attention to the condition of the hip joints during pregnancy experience persistent deformation of the cartilage tissue and a significant decrease in the lumen of the joint space.

The reasons why joint pain occurs during pregnancy include the following pathogenetic changes:

• a specific hormonal background with a predominance of female sex hormones that promote the growth of the embryo and prevent abortion;
• a large amount of progesterone released negatively affects the condition of cartilage tissue, blocks the ability to absorb fluid by hyaline fibers;
• the increasing need for calcium with a deficiency in the supply of this microelement from food leads to leaching from bone tissue (not only a problem with joints arises, but also with decaying tooth enamel);
• Vitamin D deficiency provokes osteoporosis and destruction of the femoral head;
• the pressure of the growing uterus on the tissue in the pelvic cavity blocks the normal process of blood supply to the buttock and femoral region;
• changes in posture and restructuring of the spinal column due to increased physical activity on the lumbosacral region;
• divergence of the pelvic bones leads to deformation of the articulation of the acetabulum and the head of the femur, this can provoke destruction of the cartilaginous synovial layer.

Eliminating all potential causes only reduces the risk. And active prevention of pain in the hip joint during pregnancy consists of special preparation for labor. This requires the help of an experienced orthopedic doctor.

We offer various manual therapy techniques that will allow you to successfully carry a pregnancy, prepare for childbirth, ensure the safety of labor and prevent the process of destruction of the hip joint.

How to prepare for pregnancy

For a woman, not only therapeutic and preventive postpartum rehabilitation is very important, but also preparation for pregnancy itself. It is necessary to cure the pathologies of the body, strengthen the main segments of the spine, thoracic and lumbosacral regions, and the bone joints of the hip skeleton.

Proper nutrition will help with this, when harmful components are excluded from the diet, for example, salty and fatty foods. After consulting with your doctor, in the absence of concomitant chronic diseases, you need to supplement your diet with mineral supplements and vitamins.

Exercises useful before pregnancy:

Water and air procedures, general physical training, that is, a set of therapeutic and preventive exercises for stretching the ligamentous-muscular apparatus of the supporting system and the pelvic floor muscles, and increasing the mobility of osteoarticular joints will help strengthen the immune system.

Safe treatment of joints during pregnancy

In order to safely treat joints during pregnancy, it is necessary to completely abandon any pharmacological drugs. Most of them have a negative effect not only on the mother’s body, but also can create prerequisites for intrauterine malformations of the fetus.

Our manual therapy clinic employs experienced specialists. They use specially developed techniques in their work:

• massage allows you to prepare muscle tissue for increasing loads and subsequent labor;
• osteopathy launches the processes of natural tissue regeneration by using the body’s hidden reserves;
• reflexology improves the general condition of the body and increases its vitality;
• kinesitherapy and therapeutic exercises improve the condition of the ligamentous, muscular, and bone apparatus.

Treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis. Pain in the hip joint cannot occur on its own. It can only be a symptom of some disease. And the final result depends on the accuracy of the diagnosis and the correctness of the prescribed treatment. Therefore, it is very important not to engage in independent treatment, but to seek help from an experienced orthopedic doctor.

Recommended set of exercises

These gymnastic exercises can be done not only in preparation for pregnancy, but also during it and after childbirth. The only condition is the approval of the consulting gynecologist or other specialized specialist.

A set of physical exercises cannot be performed in the presence of pain syndromes in the corresponding areas of the support system.