Pelvic pain in pregnancy is common and often brushed off as many are told they just have to deal with it because it’s part of pregnancy, and it will go away after having the baby.
From my personal experience, I had pelvic pain throughout most of my first two pregnancies and am currently experiencing it in my third-lucky me! But from experiencing it and working with many clients who have also experienced it during pregnancy, I have found some different strategies that are helpful in managing the pain with exercise and throughout the day.
Before sharing these tips, I want to make it clear that these are just some of the strategies I will try out with clients (and myself); these won’t always be the perfect answer for every woman and sometimes, certain exercises will need to be limited as much as you can to help manage the pain.
With that being said, let’s dive into these strategies!
Some of the most common troublesome movements tend to be deep squats and lunges and other unilateral exercises. These tips can be applied for many different exercises, so don’t feel limited to trying them out with just lunges or squats!
Shorten the range of motion.
Sometimes, a large range of motion/deep squat position can exacerbate pelvic pain. Instead of trying to fight through the pain, try performing the exercise in a shorter range of motion/at a shallower depth.
For example, in a squat, you could try squatting to a chair that is higher than the normal depth you would squat to. And in a lunge, you wouldn’t bring your back knee as close to the floor.
Set up in a narrower stance.
A wider set up can put a bit more strain on your pelvis, so narrowing your stance may be helpful here. For a lunge, you can try walking your feet in a bit closer so they aren’t so far apart. This may also help you be able to keep your pelvis a bit more symmetrical/squared up which will put less strain on your hips/pelvic area.
Use assistance.
Using external assistance like a TRX/rings, a wall, a poll, a table, etc. can help you control the load by using your upper body to help with the movement and take some of the pressure off of the pelvis.
For example, in a lunge, you could hold onto a pole to use your arms to help you move through the lunge so that your lower body isn’t doing all of the work by itself.
Relax.
Holding tension in your pelvic floor and inner thighs can also contribute to pelvic pain, so spending some time after workouts and throughout the week to focus on relaxing these areas can be very helpful. For tips and a few ways to help you relax, read this blog.
Strengthening your glutes during pregnancy and postpartum can help with managing pain, so before completely eliminating some of these great (and functional) exercises, try adjusting them first. If you are still experiencing pain, finding other glute-strengthening exercises that don’t flare up the pain can be very beneficial in managing the pain in other movements.
For more tips on glute strength to help with pelvic pain, check out THIS BLOG.
Pelvic pain is common, but that doesn’t mean you just have to deal with it. This is a common issue that I help my clients work through to help them find ways to move that feel good for them and help them stay strong and on track with their goals.
Want stronger glutes to help your core and pelvic floor be stronger and function better? Grab my FREE Booty Builder Guide HERE.
In this guide, you will learn why training your glutes is more important than just aesthetics (although, that is a nice benefit). Included are exercises that you may not be doing in your current training program, but should be. They can be added to your current program or mixed together for a glute-focused workout.
Want more info on how you can navigate symptoms, exercise, and your journey? Fill out this form to schedule a FREE call with me to discuss how you can get better guidance with exercise and managing symptoms in pregnancy!
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