Suggestions for Bad Hips

Do you have bad hips? Know someone who does? I'm curious for any and all suggestions for how to minimize strain on my hips while maintaining a moderate level of mobility.

I'm 16 weeks pregnant but my tendons have already started loosening, and my hips constantly feel like they are out of joint. There's a dull ache most of the time, though other times I feel incredibly stiff and have a difficult time walking around. It seems to be less of a problem if I keep active, if I lay down on my back (nap, rest, etc) then things just stiffen up and I find myself worse than before I tried to rest. The stretches I have been trying also seem to make things worse, though now that I think about it the stretches I have tried may have been putting undue stress on my joints. I've spoken to my Ob/gyn and I'm planning on taking his advice on visiting a physical therapist. But in the meantime I figure I might as well start a discussion on the topic, see if there are some people out there with some advice.

 

First, congratulations (again)!

Nutritionally, have you considered ensuring a minimum omega-3 intake? That can help with inflammation, plus it's supposed to be good for the baby to have an EPA and DHA intake during pregnancy.

Omega-3 Fish Oil and Pregnancy : American Pregnancy Association

Good for hips, good for baby?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Congrats.

My wife has bad hips due to her RA.
Often a heating pad will help.

My mother who's an L&D nurse has suggested laying with pillows leveraged up against your body as you lay...sometimes this actually helps.
You might want to consider how you're sitting, walking, lying, etc...each has a different impact, and the length of time you're in each.

But there is also special yoga for pregnant ladies, this may allow you to stretch but for what you're capable of for you in your situation.

Of course, speak with your doctor before starting any program.
Unfortunately, since you're pregnant, there's not that many meds you can take.

A child-birth prep class may be able to give some pointers.
But it is different for every woman.

Lastly, certain things you can do to distract from the pain.

I wish you as much comfortable as possible during this wonderful but challenging time.

 

Yes, I spoke to my OB about it.

I haven't taken any pain pills. I'm used to managing chronic pain from a disease I have been fighting the past 2 years (that supposedly left me infertile). Any "pregnancy safe" pain drugs haven't worked on me for a while, taking nothing is just as effective.

This is my first pregnancy to make it through the first 3 months. So, yeah... this is all new.

Physical therapy was the OB's suggestion, and I have found a specialist in pre-natal physical therapy that I'm planning on visiting - I have left a message with their office and sent an e-mail - waiting on hearing back from them with an appointment time. Update: I have an appointment for Friday morning (next week).

I have taken PonyPotato 's advice (both here and on my blog). So many of you have suggested sleeping with a pillow between my legs - I have been doing that for a while and it wasn't really helping much. So I doubled-up the pillow to make it a more substantial size and it seems to be helping quite a bit, if nothing else it makes it so I can lay down without as much pain.

 

I spoke with my sister about my hip pain last night. She experienced something similar with her hips at about the same timeframe with all of her pregnancies. She didn't do any physical therapy, it wasn't a financially viable option for her at the time. She ended up on bed rest due to her hip pain. She also ended up with permanent damage to her hips, which now that she has 5 kids, can't afford to deal with. I'm definitely glad I know that this early loosening of joints runs in my family, and what the end result may be if I don't get the proper care.

I'll see the specialist on Friday. Really looking forward it.

 

I'm glad you figured out that there is a pattern within your family.
I've found that doctors seem to pay attention to and work to resolve things better if given something to refer to.

Like, without it, they are unsure of what to address and their solutions are ambiguous or non-attentive.
But now, that you can state your have some sort of family/genetic pattern, it's relatable...and then they'll tackle it more specifically.

This is true for yourself, it's like a check on your sanity. "It's not in my head".
Then you could seek a specialist even beyond your primary and OB/GYN.

And it's further proof to the insurance companies too...
As now you have a valid argument for appeal if they "disapprove" a course of action.

Sad that people/entities are skeptical, that you have to prove things always.
But sometimes they won't acknowledge something is the matter until they are given an excuse or another point of reference.

 

Not sure why I glazed over this one earlier. I take flaxseed oil tablets, have been taking them fairly regularly for around a year. The doc also gave me a sample of an algae-based DHA supplement. I think I'll start looking for something more effective than the flaxseed. I'd like to find a substantial vegetarian alternative to fish oil, if possible.