I went to my first physical therapy appointment yesterday. One word to describe it...PAINFUL! I think I may be even more sore today. I did find out more about what is wrong. Here's what the physical therapist told me & what it says in the pamphlet she gave me (a little physiology lesson for you):
1. Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause ligaments to loosen and increase movement in the joints, especially those of the pelvis and tailbone. The right or left ilium (upper part of the pelvic bone) can rotate too far forward or backward.
2. Increased movement in the joints causes the surrounding muscles to tighten and become overworked. Muscles are now being used not only for movement but also to provide stability to the joints. Overworked muscles will hurt.
3. As the baby grows, the pregnant uterus comes out of the pelvis and becomes an abdominal organ. This causes further stress on the sacroiliac joints and low back or lumbar area.
MY PROBLEM involves my left pelvic bone and piriformis muscle (the muscle that rotates the hip outwards). The piriformis lies deep inside each buttock, starts in the middle of the tailbone, and travels deep under the large gluteus muscle to attach to the upper part of the thigh bone. The sciatic nerve travels between the piriformis. Spasms of this muscle will cause compression on the sciatic nerve...this means PAIN!!!
She massaged my left piriformis muscle to try to "release" it. Apparently, it is very knotted. Holy cow, it really hurt when she dug into it! She also showed me some stretches to do at home (which also really hurt). That is my homework for this week...to do the stretches 2-3 times a day. Next week, they will work more on releasing the muscle and evaluate me for some sort of pregnancy back belt. Geez, I feel like I'm falling apart. Not only does my butt hurt, but my lower back is really stiff. Is it August yet??
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