Lightning Crotch: How to Deal with Pubic Pain During Pregnancy
What is “Lightning Crotch”?
This term refers to a sharp and sudden pain which feels like a “bolt of lightening” hitting you right at the front of your crotch. It is usually aggravated by certain movements, and calms down once you sit again. The medical term is Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction (or Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction in Latin). It is very commonly experienced during pregnancy mostly due to the hormone relaxin which softens the supporting muscles of your pelvis which normally keep the joints stable during movements like walking, standing on one foot, and in severe cases even rolling in bed. The hormone relaxin actually softens all of the ligaments in the body, causing all sorts of aches and pains…. but on a positive note, it allows your ribcage and pelvis to expand to make room for baby as they grow!
How is it Treated?
The good news is, that despite the fact that the ligaments are softened by relaxin, the muscles are unaffected and can continue to provide good support to the pelvic girdle.
USE YOUR MUSCLES
By far THE BEST treatment for Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction is to improve conscious engagement of supporting muscles during aggravating movements. For example, if getting up from a chair is causing you sharp shooting pain in your pelvic region, try first contracting your inner abdominal muscles (like you are pulling your belly button towards your spine with a drawstring). Then, try getting up from the chair while holding that contraction throughout. Another way to try this is to do a KEGEL before and during the movement to allow the pelvic muscles to stabilize your joints from the inside. This won’t take the discomfort away completely at first, but it should reduce the severity of pain significantly. And over time as you make this more of a habit, the inflammation at the joint will decrease and the overall pain should decease too!
ICE ICE BABY
When pregnant, you are not supposed to take anti-inflammatories such as Advil, so ice packs are your best bet for localized inflammation control. I recommend trying to ice for 10 minutes at a time, directly to the painful point on the pubic bone (right where the hair grows). Do this once per day after your workout or walk if the pain is mild, but doing it 2-5x/day will help if the pain is more severe.
WRAP IT UP
If using your muscles and icing regularly isn’t reducing your pain, or if you have a job where you have to be up and moving for most of the day like a nurse or a stay at home mom, then you may benefit from wearing an additional external support like the SEROLA BELT.
While there are cheaper versions of this sacro-illiac belt available, The Serola Belt is honestly the best product on the market for pubic symphysis pain, sacro-iliac pain, or hip girdle instability. The quality of the materials, durability, and flexibility in sizing is unmatched by any competitor.
I often recommend buying a larger size than you think because you and baby may grow more!
4. MODIFY MOVEMENT
By decreasing the activities that tend to aggravate this joint, you can decrease the inflammation and pain as well. Things to limit include: 1. Stairs 2. Lunges 3. Standing on one leg. 4. Walking long distances. 5. Kicking open doors with your feet.
Things that are less aggravating to the joint: Squats, elliptical, water-walking, swimming with a buoy between your legs, and gentle, slow, yoga.
5. See a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
Although pubic symphysis is not harmful to you or your baby, the pain can be temporarily debilitating and it doesn’t usually get better on it’s own. Schedule a virtual visit with a Doctor of Physical Therapy today, and accelerate your recovery today. They can help you with all of the above to create a customized program designed just for you and your lifestyle so that you can continue to do all the things you want and need to, and decrease or eliminate this pesky pain!