pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain
/Our understanding of contemporary pain science regarding the multifaceted nature of pain and the context of each pregnant person’s unique lived experience is e v o l v i n g.
Join me as we say bye bye to the outdated biomechanical lens and hello to the whole person, modern approach! Below you can preview a very recently published infographic to help understand current evidence. It serves as a guide for reframing beliefs to improve health and birth outcomes.
This infographic was recently published in British Journal of Sports Medicine and developed by leading clinician-researchers in Canada. You can access it here.
How do we improve prognosis?
Through early intervention in pregnancy including lifestyle coaching. Most importantly, through instilling the belief that the pain experience is changeable.
“Early intervention for pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain is essential to help pregnant people make sense of their pain experience, believe in the possibility of change and adopt positive lifestyle habits throughout their pregnancy for improved health and birth outcomes” (Pulsifer et al., 2022).
Evidence based individualized care includes
behavior changes that empower self-management
pain education
optimizing sleep
supporting emotional wellbeing
modulating the stress response system
daily exercise + activities of daily living strategies
support garments + manual therapy to alter sensory-motor inputs, improving confidence/safety in movement
Key takeaway from the authors
“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻
𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆” (Pulsifer et al., 2022).
Reach out for a free consultation to see if individualized virtual guidance
during pregnancy or postpartum is for you.
Reference
Pulsifer J, Britnell S, Sim A, et al. Reframing beliefs and instilling facts for contemporary management of pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain. British Journal of Sports Medicine. Published Online First: 10 August 2022. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105724.
