Hip Pain After Childbirth?

It took about one year for that pain to go away, particularly because I breast fed. All part of the fun.

Yes, I cant sit on a soft seat or sleep comfortably, i work with Pts and all the excercises they gave me didnt seem to help so i went to a chiropractor on friday and he said that my illiosacral joint was not allighned, my pubic bone was misalighned and something about my lumbar sacral joint :o( he adjusted me and it felt better til i went to bed again idk what to do its crazy! He also said id probably be sore for a few days and might have to come back a couple times, I guess he was right. im up now cause i cant sleep. I had my baby about 6 months ago and still am breastfeeding, ide rather be in labor. My pain slowly started about a month or two ago... I never had chronic pain til now and this is absolutely horrible :o/ I just noticed a womens post about calcium deficiency! I am going to get a supplement as soon as the pharmacy opens!!!

Hi!
I actually did experience that after the birth of my twin girls. My midwife said it was normal also. I also had some nerve issues going on as well, explaining my numbness. So, for that I would get it checked to make sure nothing is pinched. It was the way my twins were laying that pinched mine. A couple of visits to the chiro can help that along!! Hope that helps!!
And a glass of wine and a massage was always a welocme treat at the end of the day as well!!
Take Care,
S.

I advise you to get this checked out with your OB, and if not that person, then your GP. It may be nothing but your body trying to return to what it will now consider normal--but it might be something else--and you wouldn't want to mess around with a potential for a pinched nerve--but I'm no dr, so I don't know if that is even remotely close to what you're feeling. However, keep in mind that it does take over a year at times for your body to fully physically recover from childbirth--so, give yourself a break. It took you 9 months to CREATE an actual human being--it will take at least that long for your body to recover.

Hi S., If you have not seen for pcp for this problem perhaps you should. It should have resolved itself by now if it were related to you pregnancy. It sounds like it could be inflamation in the joints. Blood test could tell them if inflamation is present. (ANA Test and others) Good luck

Hi,
I know you have had a lot of responses, but I had hip pain after having my daughter and my pcp said it was because I carried her on the same side all the time....Try switching sides and see if it helps....A chriopractor or physical therapist could also help.

Hi S., yes i have had hip pain since my first son 11 years ago. One doctor told me was bercitis(sp) another disagreed. I had a lot of pain with my second child and ended up going to PT. Apparently my hips got out of line. The right side it tilted forward. I guess pregnancy can cause your hips and backs to get out of line which makes sense. I would call your primary and see what they think.

P.

Hi S.. As any woman who has had a second child will probably tell you: the second time around is much harder on your body. I would keep an eye on it and definitely check in with your doctor if it doesn't go away. I think being sore and having some aches and pains are normal, but the numbness I would keep an eye on. Good Luck! K.:)

Sounds like it might be a pinched nerve. Pretty common with all the moving around your insides do to accommodate that wonderful little bundle you carry for 9 months. Treat yourself to a massage making sure you let the therapist know about the pain so they can work more on your hip area. If that doesn't seem to help try chiropractic. You may just need a little boost to get your body to remember the way it was supposed to be!!

I would definitely recommend going to see a chiropracter! Perhaps during pregnancy as your tendons & ligaments stretched something became misaligned in your hip/sacral area.

Sounds like your hip ligament might be out of place. See a massage therapist or chiropractor about it. Ask if they know how to put the hip back in place and how to check the ligament. Some know how to do this while others do not. My last chiro would just adjust my back and say it would pull the hip into place. It doesn't work. For me, the ligament has to be pushed back into place when it goes out (which is easy when you have been pregnant - they stretch). It is a little painful, so if you can find a massage therapist who can do it, they can relax you down afterwards. It is well worth it since it will feel SO much better after it is done!s

It sounds like you might need to see a chiropractor. The hips, tailbone, and spine all get pushed out of alignment, especially being pregnant and giving birth. Your sciatic nerve may be the factor in your numbness. When you're out of alignment it can pinch or push on that nerve which runs from the top of your glute all the way down the leg into the back of the heel...it can cause great discomfort and annoyance, but no real pain. Just a hunch though...good luck! And congrats!:)

I have THE EXACT SAME problem and it's calcium! when you're pregnant especially towards the end when the baby is larger your body is using up all your calcium for your baby. if you nurse you are continuing to use your calcium supply for your baby and if your calcium deficiency did enough damage during your pregnancy i'm sure it can continue without nursing too. my ob/gyn prescribed a strong calcium supplement and the pain vanished (this was when i was travelling in chile) when i got back i simply started buying Solaray Calcium Citrate (citrate is the easiest for your body to absorb)even better with Vit. D or Magnesium. I took four a day (two in the morning and before bed) I am still taking them (just once now)and if i miss a day i wake up early with the pain in my hips and sometimes down my legs.
I am 99.###-###-#### percent sure all you have is a calcium deficiency! doesnt hurt to take some calcium (i highly recommend Solaray because they are all natural and vegetarian, but there are many. Many good ones are available at Whole Foods)
When archealogists find old skeletons one of the first things they look at the determine whether the skeleton is a man or woman are the hips! women who have had children have visible damage to their hips!
good luck!
p.s. I am so surprised no one has said this yet!

Hi S.! I am a physical therapist and I would guess that the pain you are experiencing in your hip is actually coming from your low back (a pinched nerve such as sciatica, maybe from a herniated disc or a muscle spasm in your piriformis muscle-deep behind your hips). I would advise seeing your GP and getting a referral to physical therapy! good luck!

Your hip is out of "wack". Mine has been 1 1/2 out of place for over 9 months now, which effects your sciatic nerve in ur pelvic area! The only people that can take care of this is a Chiropractor..But make sure u go to one that does x-rays! They massage you and pop what needs to be popped..and the only goal is for them to pop ur hip into place (i does not hurt) its relieving!

I'm wondering how you all are doing now. My hip pain started days after my second son was born (a year ago). It was worse than my unmedicated vaginal delivery. My hip was "severely out of alignment." I went to PT for 8 weeks. It was 90-95% better and I was doing exercises to maintain it. Now it is getting progressively worse. I still massage my hip like they showed me and do stretches but I stopped doing the exercises. I have had pain moving into nearby muscles due to tightness including abdominal area and now my leg. I had pelvic floor issues during PT Nd the spasms have started back. Other than start back with my exercises I'm wondering if I should see a dr, PT again or try a chiropractor. It's been a year! I am still breastfeeding. The baby turns - this week and I'm not really ready to seen him, but if I knew the pain would stop I would for sure. I hate to ween him before we're both ready and realize the pain continues. Any advice?

Hi S.-

I am a physical therapist and have a lot of experience with this type of pain. Your midwife was probably correct in that your pelvis was preparing for the delivery. Now, the bones of your pelvis may be out of alignment and this could be the cause of your pain. It is hard to make the assessment without actually seeing you, but it is very common for the pelvic bones to shift during birth and unless you shift them back, they stay there. I would highly recommend you try to find a PT in your area and make an appointment.

I am in Amherst and would be happy to work with you if you are nearby.

Good luck.

Mara Hahn

First, you need to determine if what you are experiencing is true hip pain or is actually referred back pain. If the pain is in your groin, the crease at the top of your thigh when you bend it, it is true hip pain. If the pain wraps around the outside of your "hip" where most people think their hips are (where you put your hands on your "hips") it is more likely to be back pain. The round ligaments in your pelvis along with all the other ligaments in that area do loosen up significantly during pregnancy and delivery. they also loosen more with multiple pregnancies and births. Each woman's body is different and will take different rates of time to return to "normal" if ever it really does :) If the pain is wrapping around the outside and down your legs rather than in the groin, this is typically from back pain that is referred elsewhere. When you are pregnant, it obviously stretches out your abdominal muscles and your hamstring muscles often tighten up to compensate. This puts alot of strain on your low back. As does carrying around a baby in a carrier or just on your hip, particularly if you don't make a conscious effort to switch sides regularly. Either way, you should talk to your doc. Post partum physical therapy can help alot. You may only need to actually see the PT a few times and then they can give you a home exercise program to keep you stretched where you need to be and strengthened where you need to.
Don't suffer in silence, have it checked out! Good luck.

I agree with chiropractic treatments as well as massage! I had several car accidents before I even got pregnant with my first child and had severe back/neck problems and pain. The chiro helped me a lot and I love getting relaxing massages that seems to help me to. I also have sciatica & it is worse after have my son and now I am 20 weeks pregnant again and it is even worse!
So check with your midwife let her know what is going on because you want to rule out that it is not something else! Diabetes can also cause "numbness, tingling" in the legs & feet. So they may want to check your blood sugars as well, maybe do x-rays before letting you see a chiro (lots of doctors do not refer patients to chiros, they don't like them or believe in them...FYI). But most are only $30 a visit without insurance so you could go on your own, just make sure you find a good one!! Good luck.

For almost a year after delivery my ankles hurt like crazy and so did my wrists. It seemed to clear up after I stopped nursing at 1o months. For some reason your ligaments are very loose for a long time after delivery and during nursing. I think it has something to do with the hormones. I thought I had arthritis, but a year later I am starting to feel like my normal self. If you are worried, then I would go see a specialist, not your midwife. You could also try a physical therapist, who may be able to help you.

have you thought about having yourself adjusted by a chiropractor. i foound my hip pain resoved after seeing my chiropractor after having my daughter she is 1 now mother rn of a 13 11 8 and 1 yr old running a home based business www.myurbeautiful.myarbonne.com a great second income warmly, K. d

After having a baby, your body is all out of whack! I know not all people trust/like chiropractors, but this helped me. Not only did I still have some problems with my hips when my son was 4, but they were uneven. With some minor adjustments and some time they were back to normal, pain free. I see someone in Osterville who trains your body to heal itself. We've had a lot of excellent experiences. My son's asthma and allergies are less severe. I take him there instead of the doctor when his ears hurt or he's sick. You be the judge on the rest, but I highly recommend it for your hips.

Hi S.,
Just get yourself to a Physical Therapist to determine if your pelvis/hips/back is aligned or out of whack from pregnancy. I had the same troubles and the PT said my pelvis was not aligned. I had horrible pain in my right hip and I pulled my back out 3 times after giving birth which was pretty horrifying to deal with caring for a newborn.
With little effort and a painless process, PT fixed this issue. I went to Dynamic PT in Worcester off of Park Ave. Not a glamorous office but very capable people there, the young gentleman, (Bill?) helped me tremendously. Just give it a shot. It is not worth just dealing with the pain and hoping time will help.
Hang in there.
Blessings,
L.

Hi S.,
I had twins 7 months ago .. my first pregnancy. The baby that sat on my right side threw that hip out and caused sciatia. If you have tingling and dull pains down the leg that your hip hurts on then it could be just that, a pinched nerve. I was convinced that after the babies arrived the pain would immediately disappear. Two months post-prego I ended up visiting a chiropractor twice a week for roughly 4 months. My chiro said this can be alleviated during a pregnancy also and still be safe to the baby. Wish I had known that!! Run it by your midwife first.
Best,
L.

Do you think it is your hips or your joints? my hips did not adjust back after speading for the baby and I ended up needing Physical Therapy to help get them back in shape..ask your doctor about the pains and see if this is something you can get an RX for.

I could barely walk around the store..does Tylenol or Advil help in the meantime? no one wants to be in pain.

It may be your siatic (spelling) nerve. I had the same hip pain during my first and second pregnancies. It stuck around for years after my first birth and then oddly hasn't really been bothering me since the birth of my second child. I would get numbness down my legs and into my toes. It's definitely something worth checking into. Unfortunately there isn't a "cure" for it, but your doctor could give you some exercises to help it out some. Good luck.