Hip joints hurt during pregnancy: causes and what to do?

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

During pregnancy, a woman's body undergoes significant changes. It is not only about external, but also internal preparation for bearing a baby. All organs work in an enhanced mode, providing the fetus with the necessary nutrients and creating the most comfortable conditions for its development. In this regard, the expectant mother often experiences ailments and pain, complains that her hip joints hurt during pregnancy. According to studies, most women in an "interesting position" are faced with the problem of discomfort in the hip area and lower extremities.

Causes of pain, excluding pathology

Among the possible reasons why the hip joint hurts during pregnancy, which do not affect the he alth and development of the child, are the following:

1. Hormonal restructuring. Literally from the first week after the fertilization of the egg in the bodythe future mother significantly increases the level of progesterone, which, in turn, is responsible for the preservation and stable course of gestation. One of the main functions of an endogenous steroid is the preparation of the ligaments and muscles of the pelvis for the future birth process. The tissues of the small pelvis become more elastic and soft, which is why it is much more difficult to hold the hip joint. As a result, even small physical exertion often causes pain and discomfort in the pelvic area, and hip joints ache during pregnancy. The problem is even more aggravated in the last weeks of gestation. This is due to the production of another hormone - relaxin, which has a relaxing effect on the uterus and ligaments of the pubic joint, preparing for childbirth. Moreover, it is able to affect all the joints in the body.
2. Weight gain. For the entire period of pregnancy, on average, a woman's body weight increases by 8-20 kg. This is explained not only by an increase in the height and weight of the fetus, but also by its environment, the complication of the circulatory circle, because now you also have to feed small miracles through the placenta. During pregnancy, the volume of blood in a woman's body increases to 1.5 liters. All of these factors inevitably put stress on the joints, especially the hips.
3. Lack of calcium. A significant amount of vitamins and minerals entering the mother's body is spent on the development of the fetus. The lack of nutrients makes the bone tissue of the hip joints less dense, leads to atrophy and wasting of muscles and cartilage. That's why hip joints hurtduring pregnancy.
4. Displacement of organs. The constantly growing uterus puts pressure on the surrounding organs and moves them from their location. Not infrequently, this causes a deterioration in well-being, disruption of the functioning of the organs of the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal tract, causes pain and discomfort in the lumbar region and hip joints. In addition, local circulatory disorders are reflected in the legs in the form of tingling and heaviness.

Due to natural changes in the body during the period of bearing a child, approximately 70-80% of women note that their hip joints hurt during pregnancy at night. Painful sensations are periodic, most often they increase after a long walk, physical activity. After a short rest, the state of he alth improves and only in exceptional cases may hospitalization be required.

Pathological causes

In some cases, pregnancy serves as an impetus for the development and exacerbation of certain diseases. The most common pathological reasons why the hip joint hurts during pregnancy include:

1. Inflammatory or infectious processes, degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the supporting apparatus, including fibromyalgia, arthritis, arthrosis, spondylitis. Among other things, the consequences of severe injuries and surgery in the past can cause pain in the hip joint during pregnancy. Pathologies are accompanied by discomfort of differentseverity, one or more joints. In the presence of acute inflammation, redness, swelling, and restriction of normal mobility may occur.
2. Symphysit. The disease is characterized by a divergence of the pubic bones up to several centimeters and an inflammatory process of the pubic symphysis. Pronounced symptoms of the pathology are aching pain in the pubic area, responsive to the leg, clicks when walking, a change in gait, the inability to spread and raise the legs in the supine position.
3. Diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. The increased load on the organs starting from the 4th month of pregnancy in some cases is reflected in the hip joints and lower back. Among the main symptoms are: swelling of the lower extremities, frequent urination, discoloration of urine, fatigue, thirst.
4. Depressive state. About 30% of women during the period of bearing a baby suffer from anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, which may be the result of discomfort in places of large and small joints.

In some cases, pain in the hip joint during pregnancy may be associated with an abnormal presentation of the fetus. This, in turn, leads to a significant load on the ligaments. Most often, discomfort occurs when you stay in the same position for a long time and is localized in one area.

Hormonal changes

Throughout pregnancy, the body of the expectant mother reproduces the hormones progesterone and estrogen, they affect the reproductive system of the fetus and woman. Endogenous steroids are differentphysiological effects on the body that enhance the metabolism of the mother and baby. Progesterone is activated only under the influence of estrogen. It, in turn, promotes the natural transition of the endometrium to the secretory stage, reduces uterine contractions and immunity protection so that the embryo is not rejected by the woman's body. Estrogen promotes the development and preparation of the genital organs for pregnancy and childbirth, improves the ducts of the mammary gland.

However, hormones have not only a positive effect, it is worth highlighting the negative aspects. Since, to a greater extent, the restructuring of the hormonal system is aimed at maintaining the fetus and reproductive systems, the saturation of the bone and joint tissue becomes impoverished. Muscles lose their tone, cartilage softens, the ligamentous tendon apparatus becomes more elastic, hence the pain in the hip joints during early pregnancy. Thus, the body is preparing for natural delivery.

Treatment methods

Only the attending physician can determine the exact cause of pain in the hip joint during pregnancy. Therefore, if a feeling of discomfort occurs, it is important to inform the gynecologist about this, who will prescribe an appropriate examination. If a pathology is detected during it, the doctor will prescribe treatment depending on the nature of the disease and the pattern of the ongoing pregnancy. If the pain and discomfort are caused by physiological processes, the woman will be given a number of recommendations to alleviate the symptoms.

Exercise and load balancing

Recommended for preventing and reducing hip pain during pregnancy:

• wear supportive underwear and bandage;
• sleep on a mattress with a hard orthopedic base;
• use lumbar bolsters and specially designed maternity pillows;
• limit long walks and heavy exercise;
• wear orthopedic shoes or buy special insoles;
• rest on your side more often during the day;
• take short but frequent walks in the fresh air;
• if doctors do not forbid, then you need to play sports that do not involve high loads (swimming, yoga, etc.).

If the hip joint hurts from early pregnancy, doctors recommend doing the following exercises:

1. Pelvis rotation. Starting position: you need to stand straight, legs apart shoulder-width apart. Rest your palms on the protruding bones of the pelvis. Start slowly with a minimum amplitude, rotational movements of the pelvis clockwise, and then in the opposite direction. Number of repetitions: 10-15 times in each direction.
2. Relieving the load from the hip joint. Starting position: lying on your back, legs extended, arms along the body. Slowly start turning from the back to one side and back, then to the other side. After that, the legs are smoothly pulled to the stomach and also smoothly pulled out. Finally, lying straight, feet on the floor, limbsbred and brought together. The number of repetitions of each exercise is 10-15 times.
3. Butterfly. Starting position: sitting on the floor, the back is straightened, the soles are closed. The feet try to move as close to the pubis as possible. Hands lie on the inside of the thighs and with light pressure movements, it is necessary to touch the floor with your knees. Number of repetitions: 20 times.

Each exercise is performed at a slow pace, if you feel pain or fatigue, the exercise must be stopped.

Massage and physiotherapy

If your hip joints hurt during pregnancy, you can do a relaxing massage of this area to improve your well-being at home. To do this, a pharmacy or vegetable oil allowed for pregnant women is applied to the skin and acted on it with light massaging movements. Target area: hips, joints, lower and lateral back. Regular massage will not only relieve pain, but also increase the elasticity of the skin, which reduces the likelihood of stretch marks.

Physiotherapy during pregnancy with pain in the hip joint is carried out strictly for medical reasons. The course of treatment can be short, exposure to light, vibration, ultrasound and a weak electrical impulse is allowed.

Before starting any procedure, the doctor must be notified of the presence of diseases and the duration of pregnancy. Some hip procedures may well interfere with normal pregnancy, preterm labor or miscarriage.

Dieting

Fetal bone tissueIt is formed from the seventh week of pregnancy, during this period the body needs an increased dose of minerals and calcium, which can only be obtained from the body of a woman. To make up for the consumption of calcium, the expectant mother needs to increase the daily rate three times. In addition, ensuring the mineralization of the bone, muscle, articular and ligamentous system necessarily requires the use of vitamin D.

If the right or left hip joints hurt during pregnancy, a nutritional deficiency in the expectant mother's body can be diagnosed. To solve the problem, you need to adjust your daily diet. First of all, it is important to monitor the body's water balance and eat foods rich in calcium and magnesium:

• dairy and sour-milk products (cheese, cottage cheese, kefir, cheese);
• lean meats (rabbit, turkey, chicken, beef);
• sea and ocean fish;
• boiled eggs;
• seasonal fresh and baked fruits and vegetables.

On the recommendation of a doctor, it is necessary to take course complexes containing the necessary trace elements and nutritional supplements for pregnant women.

Drug therapy

In cases where physiotherapy and massage do not give a positive effect, and pain in the hip joint during pregnancy continues or intensifies, the doctor may prescribe medication. The use of drugs during gestation is strictly limited. Self-selectiontherapy is not allowed.

As a rule, the following groups of drugs are prescribed:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs of the non-steroidal group in the form of capsules, sachets, tablets and syrups. Such as: Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Nurofen, Papaverine.
• Pain-relieving ointments, creams and gels for topical application to pain centers (Ketorolac, Nurofen, Ibuprofen, Menovazin).

Recourse to drug therapy is possible only in cases of emergency and in the absence of contraindications. Each drug is used only on prescription and in accordance with the recommended dosage. In case of persistent pain in the hip joints, inpatient treatment is indicated.

Folk treatment

Reduce hip pain during pregnancy with alternative medicine:

• Make compresses from steamed oatmeal, white or blue clay, celery root.
• Lotions with decoctions of medicinal herbs: lingonberry leaves, eucalyptus, pine needles, chamomile, birch buds.
• Massage with ice cubes, walnut alcohol, honey and s alt.
• Rubbing with pine extracts and ghee.

If pain in the hip joint is associated with physiological causes and there is no need for special treatment, physical therapy, massage, traditional medicine and diet can improve the condition.

Complications after childbirth, recovery

Often, even after pregnancy, the pain in the hip joint does not stop. Not in all cases, this is due to a change in the shape of the small pelvis. As a rule, the female body, subject to physiological stress caused by labor, responds with periodic pains localized in different anatomical zones.

Often, pain in the hip joint is due to the return of the symptoms of pain in the lumbosacral region. During the period of bearing a child, all muscle groups, ligaments and tendons underwent changes, were stretched or shortened. Some time is required for the recovery period of the entire musculoskeletal system and ligaments of anatomical sections. The exceptions are chronic diseases and neurological pathologies, about which it is necessary to inform the doctor before the birth.

For every woman, the recovery process after childbirth is of great importance, since the musculoskeletal system has changed in many ways during the nine months of pregnancy. With constantly increasing loads on the joints and the lumbar spine, the functionality of muscles, ligaments and tendons changes radically. Moreover, there is a shift in the center of gravity of the entire musculoskeletal system. As a result, women experience pain and discomfort in the lumbar, knee and hip joints.

After giving birth, there may be muscle spasms, cramps in the lower extremities or aching bones. The weight gained during pregnancy only exacerbates the problem. If over time itturns into obesity, increases the risk of cardiovascular pathologies or metabolic syndromes.

Prevention

If a woman is faced with such an unpleasant problem, and wonders what to do, the hip joint hurts during pregnancy, you need to remember: regular rest and relaxation will prevent the occurrence of complications. If possible, avoid stressful situations and maintain a he althy lifestyle.

To maintain a normal weight, it is recommended to follow a diet. Limit the use of fried and fatty foods, spicy, smoked, flour products, semi-finished products and instant foods. Proper nutrition is the key to a normal metabolism.

Among other things, pregnant women are advised to:

• Massage lightly on the knees, ankles, hands and thighs with light patting, circular and pinching movements.
• Drink the required amount of water daily.
• It is important to watch your weight, gain it gradually, do not overeat.
• Stay outdoors more often and don't miss your doctor's appointments.

Pregnancy is a special time in every woman's life. It is important to remember that any, even a minor ailment, can affect the he alth and development of the fetus.