Hip hurts during pregnancy: possible causes and treatments

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy is a crucial step in the life of every girl. In order for the bearing of a child to proceed well and have no consequences, it is necessary to prepare for this in advance. You need to monitor your he alth both before pregnancy and after it, during lactation. Also, the expectant mother must be prepared to face many difficulties. For example, restriction in sleeping positions, back pain, malaise, strange desires, pain in the abdomen, groin and hips.

Hip pain

Hip pain is a particularly common problem. If earlier the expectant mother could sleep as she liked, now there are restrictions. It is strictly forbidden on the stomach, doctors do not recommend it on the back, as it harms the baby. And it remains to sleep on one side, then on the other. This is one of the reasons why the hip hurts during pregnancy.

But you don't have to endure it all. It is enough to find out the causes of the problem and solve it as soon as possible.

Possible causes of pain

During the period of bearing a child, the female body begins to rebuild for the fetus,providing its protection, nutrition - all the necessary conditions for development without pathologies. Hormones are also amenable to change. As a result, there is discomfort and discomfort in the back, arms, lower back and hips.

Transformation of the body begins immediately after fertilization. Hormones relax the ligaments, and changes begin. However, the pain appears at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. Gradually, this discomfort can turn into a constant sharp pain if you do not pay attention to it in time. The reasons why the bones of the thighs hurt during pregnancy may be the following factors:

1. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system. If the expectant mother had bone injuries, scoliosis, joint problems, a pelvic fracture and osteochondrosis, then the likelihood of pain in the hip area increases by 3-4 times.
2. An inactive lifestyle before pregnancy is also one of the reasons why thigh muscles hurt during pregnancy. The condition of a woman during pregnancy directly depends on her life earlier. This includes nutrition, the environment, bad and good habits, sports. The latter, by the way, is very important. When playing sports, a young mother strengthens the spine, back muscles, saves herself from pain in the lower back and hips in the future. As a result, during pregnancy, the girl is easier to bear the load on the body. Doctors also recommend not to forget about sports after pregnancy. This will help to bring the body into shape and get rid of pain in the back, lower back, hips.
3. Changes in physiological terms. Most of all it concerns the growth of the uterus. An increase in the size of the uterus brings with it an increase in the load on the hips and pelvis. There may also be some complications - pinching of the sciatic nerve and the development of sciatica. The expectant mother may begin to actively gain weight. This leads to additional stress on the joints, and pain occurs. To avoid it, keep a pregnancy weight gain calculator.
4. Overworking mom-to-be. Doctors always recommend that pregnant women rest with short walks in the fresh air. But since in the modern world everything is built on money, often young mothers work until the last month. Because of this, they become overtired. Especially in the later stages, due to increased body weight, vigorous activity puts a strong strain on the joints, back and hips.
5. Not enough vitamins. As mentioned earlier, the mother's body during the period of bearing a child is rebuilt. He needs to ensure the growth and development of the child. Therefore, all the vitamins and microelements that the mother used to receive now go to the fetus. Thus, the mother does not have enough vitamins to continue to lead a normal life. Hence the hip pain. In such situations, doctors recommend taking one and a half grams of pure calcium and phosphorus per day. This is quite enough to strengthen the bones of mother and child. Otherwise, more serious problems may arise. For example, symphysitis is an inflammatory process in the pubic joint. The first symptoms: pain in the groin, pelvis, thighs. Lameness may occur, and it will be difficult for a woman to lift her legs up.
6. Preparationto childbirth. When the hips hurt, it is also necessary to take into account the duration of pregnancy. If the pain appeared at 38-40 weeks, then most likely this is the natural preparation of the body for childbirth. The pelvic bones begin to move apart to make the baby easier to come into the world.

Pain localization

In addition, in order to understand the causes of discomfort, it is necessary to take into account their localization. For example, if a girl is worried about pain in the pelvis, lower back and gluteal muscles, we are talking about sciatica. If the inner side of the thigh hurts during pregnancy, this indicates the preparation of the body for childbirth. If sensations are localized in the pubic part, you should consult a doctor, as these are symptoms of symphysitis.

Types of pain in the hips

Pain in the hip joints in pregnant women are divided into several types. For example:

• Starting pain. She appears every time a pregnant woman gets up and starts walking. It has no consequences and is associated with a load on the joints. Subsides after half an hour or an hour.
• Night pain. With her, hips hurt during pregnancy during sleep. The pain appears only late at night, regardless of whether the girl is sleeping or not. No pain during the day.
• Mechanical pain. Appears when overworked, and disappears after a long rest.

Treatment methods

Thigh pain can result in leg numbness during sleep. In this case, you should consult a gynecologist,which monitors the he alth of a pregnant girl. He will be able to conduct a full examination and refer you to a specialist for examination.

For the same reason, hands may become numb. And in this case, you also need to contact a specialist, because numbness has serious consequences. This may be a sign of developing diabetes or other problems.

It is worth noting that such phenomena are quite rare. Pain in the hips and numbness of the limbs can be the result of an incorrect position during sleep. It is difficult for a future mother to sleep because of a large belly, so her hips especially hurt during late pregnancy. Such pain may indicate that the mother simply fell asleep in an uncomfortable position for her.

To get rid of this, there are several treatments. The most common of these is gymnastics.

Gymnastics for pregnant women

Doctors recommend exercising from the 4th month of pregnancy. They help prepare the body for childbirth, reduce pain during the divergence of the womb, strengthen the hip joints, lower back, relieve fatigue.

Girl, doing gymnastics daily, provides muscle elasticity. Also, discomfort during sleep, pain in the hips, numbness of the arms and legs will disappear.

Gymnastics sequence

Exercise Sequence:

1. Tilts in different directions. Be sure to do them slowly. This will help stretch the pectoral muscle. Repeat 15-20 times on each side.
2. Pelvis rotation. Rotate byclockwise and counterclockwise, repeat 15 times in each direction.
3. Plie exercise. Perform slow, shallow squats with toes turned out. This exercise is well known in ballet. Repeat 10 times.
4. Stretching. Get on your knees. Alternately straighten your legs in different directions and slowly lean towards them. Exercise should be performed to the best of your ability. Don't overstress. Repeat 10 times on each leg.
5. Lying stretch. This is the second version of the previous exercise. You need to lie on your side, bending one leg at the knee. The second leg should be slowly pulled with the toe towards you. Repeat 15 times on each leg.

It is not necessary to complete the entire set of exercises. If a girl is worried about numbness of her hands, it is enough to perform only the first exercise, but then you need to increase the number of repetitions. With numbness of the legs, the third exercise should be performed, also increasing the number of repetitions. For pain in the thigh area, you need to perform the second and fourth or fifth exercises.

But for prevention, it is recommended to perform a full range of gymnastics at least once a week. If gymnastics does not help, then it should be done twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. If this does not help, then you should consult a doctor.

Sipping during pregnancy

Often, expectant mothers ask themselves the question: “Can I stretch after sleeping while carrying a baby?”. This is a rather controversial issue. If there are no pathologies in the development of the child and the he alth of the mother is in order, then sipping will not be superfluous. But in the last months of pregnancy it is very dangerous. Vertical sipping can cause the baby to be positioned incorrectly (he will roll over). It can also cause complications such as hypoxia or premature water loss.

Many girls do sips as a reflex, and for some it helps to relieve pain in the hips and lower back. But in no case should this be done starting from the 8th month or with complications. Even if you really want to, you need to overcome yourself so as not to harm the child.

How to relieve pain?

To avoid going to the doctor and not doing gymnastics, you can relieve pain in the hips during pregnancy with the help of several home methods:

1. Before and after sleep apply cold to the affected joint.
2. Fall asleep in the fetal position - lying on your side, bend your knees. Thus, the pain in the hips is reduced due to the additional support on the knees.
3. Putting something soft and large between your legs, such as a blanket or pillow, can reduce joint pain while you sleep.
4. A warm heating pad also helps with pain and numbness in the thighs. But this is only with the permission of the doctor. Applying a heating pad to the thigh, you can relax the joints. The warmth itself is soothing. Therefore, doctors recommend using a warm heating pad to normalize a pregnant woman's nightly sleep.

Small conclusion

If the hip hurts during pregnancy, then all the methods described above help get rid of the problem, but only if these are changesbody in physiological terms. If we are talking about diseases (diabetes, sciatica, symphysitis), these methods will not help. If a pregnant woman does not feel better from such procedures for a week, you should immediately consult a doctor.