Hip Pain A Common Problem During Pregnancy

The growing weight of the baby is often difficult for the mother to support and may even cause her pain in the hip, health care providers say. It may cause the woman to worry, especially when it is her first pregnancy and she has yet to experience this type of pain. All the normal body changes that the woman undergoes may be beneficial for the baby but it might not be the same for the mother. Most doctors would tell the woman not to worry about it because this is a common occurrence during the third trimester of pregnancy because of the hormone relaxin.

The hormone relaxin acts in preparation of the baby’s expulsion or delivery and for this most women would experience pain in their joints in their seventh to ninth month of pregnancy. However, in some cases it may be felt as early as the second trimester or in the fourth to sixth months. Relaxin helps in softening the joints and ligaments to facilitate a smooth delivery of the baby. But as the joints relax, the pressure of the growing baby is also bearing down on the joints.
It is also advised that the woman will sleep on her left side during the third trimester to improve the blood flow to the placenta. This means that the woman will stay more on her side than on her back when sleeping which will further enhance the pain on the hip area. The pain is often felt during night time when the woman is about to sleep, according to most women. When the woman starts losing sleep, activities during the day also suffer. Thus, it best to manage the pain felt in the hips before it disrupts the daily functions of the soon-to-be mother.

Here are some of the possible options in decreasing hip pain:

A pregnancy belt may be worn to support the back and trunk.
Keep the hips and upper body straight with a body pillow when sleeping.
Exercise may help strengthen the hips.
Swimming or staying in the water may help in displacing some of the pressure in the hip joints.

Women need to remember that this pain is only temporary, unless they really have a joint problem such as arthritis. Those who have arthritis experience pain on a daily basis and may need to have their hips replaced. Even with the numerous DePuy Pinnacle hip legal action taken by patients, many still consider having the surgery to escape the pain in their hips.

There are several issues tackled at the DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit information Center. Several patients have visited the depuypinnaclelawsuit.com for knowledge and understanding about these issues.