During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes dramatic changes. Hormonal changes, weight gain, and additional stress on all organs and systems can lead to problems in the body. Some women notice that the joints of their arms, legs, fingers, and hands hurt during pregnancy. There are many factors causing such pain, which only a doctor can help identify.
Causes of joint pain during pregnancy
During gestation, joint pain can occur for specific and nonspecific reasons. Specific factors - caused by the physiological characteristics of the expectant mother during pregnancy. Nonspecific causes are not directly related to gestation and are called pathological.
Let's take a closer look at each of the prerequisites for the appearance of pain in the joints.
Physiological reasons
Joint pain is often provoked by physiological factors:
- rapid increase in body weight, swelling, shift in the center of gravity;
- increased need for vitamin D, calcium;
- increased production of the hormone relaxin.
Often during pregnancy there are situations when your knees hurt. This usually happens in the later stages, when swelling has appeared and weight has increased significantly. For the joints, this load is excessive, and as a result, inflammation may develop in the joint capsule, and the woman will feel pain.
Lack of vitamin D and calcium leads to joint weakness. To prevent this problem, it is important to take multivitamins recommended by your doctor and follow a diet.
The hormone relaxin performs the function of softening bones and joints, increasing their elasticity. This is necessary so that the pelvic bones are mobile during childbirth. Relaxin affects both the hip joints and all others. As a result, pregnant women experience pain.
Pathological processes
Joint pain is caused by pathological processes that require correction. Pathological phenomena that cause pain include:
- Symphysitis (inflammatory process in the symphysis pubis). It occurs due to increased body weight, increased concentration of the hormone relaxin, and injury. Symptoms of symphysitis include pain in the pubic area, lower back, and discomfort when raising the legs.
- Osteoarthritis. During pregnancy, this disease can worsen, and the cartilage can become deformed. Osteoarthritis manifests itself as crunching in the joints, limited mobility, and pain.
- Tunnel syndrome. With this type of pathology, the joints of the fingers hurt during pregnancy. The disease often occurs in people whose activities involve working with their hands and fine motor skills. With this disease, the nerve is pinched in the canal, which is formed by the tendons of the muscles of the wrist and fingers. Symptoms of the disease are pain in the hand area in the morning, tingling sensation, numbness in the hand and its hyposensitivity.
- Autoimmune diseases. With such ailments, the body produces antibodies to its own cells. The consequence is often inflammation of the joints. Autoimmune diseases include: vasculitis, periarteritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
How to relieve pain?
If discomfort in the pelvic area appears unexpectedly, the expectant mother needs to reduce physical activity and rest more.
- Why do hip joints hurt during pregnancy - how to treat?
A special complex of microelements, as well as following simple recommendations, will help normalize the condition:
- you cannot remain in a sitting position for more than an hour;
- you need to avoid long walks and climbing stairs;
- It is important to lie and sit on soft surfaces;
- the weight should be evenly distributed on both legs - asymmetrical body position increases pain in the pelvis;
- if the pain appears at night, it is enough to change your body position;
- If you need a long car ride, you need to take a calcium supplement first.
Special gymnastics will also help reduce pain:
- Get on your knees, rest your hands on the floor. Relax your back, head and spine should be on the same line. Arch your back, lower your head, tighten your thigh and abdominal muscles.
- Lie on your back, bend your knees so that your heels are as close to your buttocks as possible. Slowly open and close your knees.
- Lie on your back, bend your knees slightly. Slowly raise your pelvis and fix your body in this position for 5-7 seconds.
Each exercise is performed from 3 to 6 times. If fatigue appears, the gymnastics is completed.
Diagnostic methods
To identify the cause of joint pain, your doctor:
- conduct a visual inspection;
- will carry out palpation to determine the presence of a local increase in body temperature and pain;
- take a Trendelenburg test, which allows you to determine the degree of functionality of the valves of the veins in the legs;
- will prescribe MRI, ultrasound, tissue biopsy, microbiological studies of synovial fluid.
Features of the structure of the pelvis
The pelvic girdle is one of the largest elements of the human skeleton. The pelvic bones perform important functions in the body:
- connect the torso to the legs;
- provide a person with the opportunity to sit and perform movements;
- protect the internal organs of the pelvis from damage.
The pelvic girdle consists of the following parts:
- two pelvic bones;
- sacrum;
- coccyx
The pelvic bones connect at the pubic symphysis - the area located above the external genitalia.
The pelvic girdle includes the two innominate bones, the sacrum and the coccyx.
The pelvic bones are surrounded by the muscles of the abdomen, back and legs. And also in the pelvic area there are ligaments - formations of connective tissue that attach muscles to the pelvic bones and hold the internal organs in the desired position.
Bones, muscles, and ligaments can hurt in the pelvic area.
Relief from joint pain during pregnancy
If your knee or fingers hurt during pregnancy, you should visit a doctor about this problem. Methods for relieving joint pain during pregnancy should be prescribed by a doctor.
As a rule, specialists try to treat pregnant women with non-drug methods if the pain does not cause the patient to suffer. If the pain is severe and a serious cause of its occurrence is identified, medical intervention cannot be avoided.
Various methods are used to treat physiological and pathological joint pain. Physiological pain is eliminated in the following ways:
- Weight control with a low-carbohydrate diet recommended by your doctor;
- in the early stages, you should rest more, and also do yoga and gymnastic exercises that reduce pain;
- for edema, it is advisable to reduce the amount of fluid you drink per day;
- avoiding sudden movements with excessive joint mobility under the influence of relaxin;
- taking calcium and vitamin D supplements if there is a deficiency of these substances;
- wearing a splint for carpal tunnel syndrome to protect the nerves from pinching.
All of the above measures can only be taken after consulting a doctor. Non-drug treatments can be as harmful when prescribed independently as medications.
If your fingers, as well as the joints of your limbs (for example, your knees) hurt, you need to determine exactly what disease is causing the pain. The following drugs may be prescribed to treat joint pathologies:
- anti-inflammatory;
- hormonal;
- antibacterial;
- painkillers.
The listed types of medications are prescribed only when absolutely necessary. The doctor will weigh the pros and cons before recommending such drugs to a pregnant woman.
Causes
There are two types of reasons that cause pain in the sacrum in expectant mothers. Namely:
- Pathological.
- Physiological.
In any case, the first thing to do is contact your obstetrician-gynecologist to determine the cause of the discomfort. After all, only after making sure that pain in the sacrum does not pose a threat to the life and health of the expectant mother and her baby can you think about how to alleviate the condition. If you experience pain in the sacrum during pregnancy, the reasons may be as follows:
- pressure on the sacrum and pelvic bones of the growing uterus;
- the baby is lying in the uterus incorrectly;
- the mother’s body lacks calcium and magnesium;
- intestinal diseases have worsened or arisen;
- training contractions occur;
- inflammation in the sacral spine;
- injuries to the sacrum, operations on it in the history of the expectant mother;
- genitourinary diseases;
- the risk of miscarriage;
- stress.
If we are talking about a pathological rather than a physiological process, the doctor will prescribe you adequate treatment.
Increased load on the lumbosacral region
Often in the second trimester during pregnancy, the sacrum hurts due to the fact that the woman leads an overly active lifestyle and her body undergoes significant stress. The pain can become especially severe after walking, bending, spending a long time on your feet without rest, etc.
Malposition
If the baby is not positioned correctly in the uterus, its head or other part of the body may press on the sacrum or adjacent areas. This leads to the fact that the expectant mother’s body begins to send pain impulses to the brain, which is why the woman comes to the doctor, complaining of pain.
Violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism
If a woman’s body does not have enough calcium and magnesium in the first, second or third trimester of pregnancy, the sacrum hurts. This is due to the fact that bone tissue becomes softer and can withstand much less stress. The occurrence of osteoporosis can be accompanied by a large number of complications, and the process itself is accompanied by pain in the sacrum, legs, back and tailbone.
Threat of miscarriage
The reason why the sacrum hurts during pregnancy may be the threat of miscarriage when unfavorable symptoms appear. These include:
- hardening of the abdomen;
- abdominal muscle tension;
- lower abdominal pain;
- reddish or brownish vaginal discharge;
- pain radiating to the anus.
If at least one such symptom occurs, a woman should immediately contact a gynecologist
for diagnosis and examination. You also need to be especially attentive to your well-being at the very beginning of pregnancy - this will eliminate the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy, as well as spontaneous abortion.
Features of treatment of joint pathologies at different stages of pregnancy
Treatment of joints has approximately the same scheme in different trimesters of pregnancy. The differences are only in a few points:
- in the 1st trimester, almost all medications are prohibited, so treatment is carried out with exercise therapy and physiotherapy;
- in the 3rd trimester, physical activity is difficult, so it is advisable to perform exercise therapy exercises in a sitting position;
- if you cannot do without medication, the doctor will prescribe a reduced dosage (especially in the early stages) of the drug, and, if possible, prescribe a drug that is safe for the pregnant woman;
- almost all anti-inflammatory drugs are prohibited during pregnancy, but if necessary, intra-articular injections of corticosteroids into the fingers, knees or larger joints can be used;
- in case of joint pathology during gestation, you will need to consult several specialists at once: a gynecologist, a rheumatologist, an orthopedist, and a therapist.
Pain in the bones of the pelvis and perineum in early pregnancy
Pelvic pain in the first trimester of pregnancy occurs extremely rarely. Most often, this condition is associated with a severe deficiency of magnesium, calcium and other trace elements. Often, a lack of these substances results in severe toxicosis, accompanied by constant vomiting. This condition is characterized by the following symptoms:
- pain in the pelvic bones;
- pain in the perineum;
- discomfort and heaviness in the legs;
- night leg cramps.
How to prevent joint pain during pregnancy?
To prevent pain in the joints, the following measures must be taken:
- introduce more foods containing calcium and vitamin D into the diet;
- monitor body weight growth;
- try not to stay in a standing position for a long time, so as not to overload the joints of the legs;
- use a special bandage from the end of the 2nd trimester;
- massage the area of sore joints;
- wear comfortable shoes with orthopedic insoles.
Joint pain during pregnancy can have different etiologies. It is important to tell your doctor about the problem in a timely manner, who will identify the cause of the pain and prescribe treatment that is safe for the pregnant woman.
Symptoms
The duration of the pain syndrome varies. In most cases it lasts no more than a few hours. Some women have a “shooting” pain syndrome, and it goes away in 20-30 minutes. A woman may complain of nagging pain. In this case, the pain may spread to the groin area or legs. When changing body position, this symptom only intensifies.
A growing baby causes the growing uterus to have a strong impact on the internal genital organs located in the pelvis. As a rule, this is manifested by increased urination or persistent constipation. These symptoms are most common during the later stages of pregnancy.
The change in the angles of the hip joints is especially clearly manifested by the fact that the woman begins to walk straight, intensively straightening her back. This is clearly visible already before childbirth.
It is important to note that the expectant mother chooses the correct position, which does not bring any pain to the woman, instinctively. In the later stages of pregnancy, it becomes more difficult for a woman to stand up or sit down. Turning sideways or bending downwards can also contribute to soreness in the pelvic area.