The combination of a shift in our center of gravity, movement mechanics, and increased joint laxity tends to contribute to some type of pelvic girdle pain.
The good news is that you do not need to stay in pain during pregnancy. It is totally possible to find relief from pelvic girdle pain!!
Let’s explore six ways you can find relief from SI joint pain, and what I am personally doing to find relief from my right SI joint pain.
6 Exercises to Relieve SI Joint Pain
When addressing pelvic girdle pain, we need to understand what may be the root cause of our pain.
And pregnancy is not the root cause, therefore the solution is NOT “it will go away when you give birth.”
Common causes of pelvic girdle pain:
- Pelvic asymmetry, or an uneven pull on the pelvic joints. Likely due to postural tendencies and muscular balance
- Musculature coordination across the pelvic joints to stabilize during movement.
Find comfort and relief from pelvic girdle pain throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period! This program incorporates myofascial sling focused exercises to stabilize across the pelvic girdle joints.
- 3 Week Program, 9 Workouts
- On Demand Workout Videos to Follow
- Educational Videos on How to Approach Modifications
- E-Book
If there is an uneven pull on the pelvis, causing pelvic asymmetry, then we may need to focus on releasing the uneven pull with mobility work.
If there is an issue with musculature coordination to stabilize the pelvic joints, then we may need to focus on strengthening exercises.
Likely, we need a combination of both!
We incorporate a combination of both in our pelvic stability program which includes our upcoming pelvic girdle pain relief webinar!
Common Postural Tendencies: Understand Our Approach to Pelvic Girdle Pain Relief
There are common postural tendencies that many of us share, which makes addressing pelvic girdle pain slightly easier.
The common postural tendency, that I also share with you all, includes:
- The left hip sits more externally rotated and has an anterior pelvic tilt (open hip position)
- Left adductor and hamstring tend to be weaker
- Left side thoracic tends to be more flattened
- Right hip sifts more internally rotated with a posterior pelvic tilt (closed hip position)
- Right glute med and quad tend to be weaker
- Right side thoracic tends to be more compressed
If we understand our postural tendency, it can help us better understand where the uneven pull and where the musculature coordination issues may be located!
Watch the video below for an explanation of my common postural tendency (that many of you share with me).
1) Strengthen the Asymmetry
1.1) Left Adductor Strengthening: Coppenhagen Planks or Side Planks with Adductor Emphasis
Since my left adductor tends to be weaker, it does not pull my pelvis towards the left as it should.
Focusing on strengthening my adductors, in general, is helpful, especially on the left side.
Copenhagen planks and side planks with adductor emphasis are two exercises I like to incorporate to support strengthening my inner thigh.
Learn more exercises to support strengthening the adductors in our pelvic girdle pain relief webinar!
We also incorporate many of these exercises in our prenatal fitness programs to help you stay comfortable throughout your pregnancy!
Watch this breakdown video of how to do the Copenhagen plank and adductor-focused side plank exercises!
1.2) Right Glute Med and Quad Strengthening: Bulgarian Split Squats
On the right side, my glute med and quad tend to need some more attention. Since the glute med and quad are not pulling their weight, my right adductor tends to fire too much causing an uneven pull on the pelvis.
Strengthening the glute med usually involves single leg stability-focused movements, and the quad tends to have more of an upright torso position with hip flexion.
Watch the video below for a breakdown of the Bulgarian split squat!
1.3) Posterior Oblique Sling: Step Up with Banded row
Another way to focus on musculature coordination is to look at the muscles beyond isolation and how they interact with a larger system: enter the myofascial slings.
Myofascial slings are lines of muscles, tissues, and ligaments that work together to stabilize the core, spine, and pelvis. There are four main slings: the anterior oblique, the posterior oblique, the lateral sling, and the deep longitudinal sling.
All the slings work together to stabilize the pelvic joints, but the one we focus on heavily for the SI joint is the posterior oblique sling.
The posterior oblique sling runs from the lat to the opposite glute. The coactivation of this sling helps to force close on the SI joint to stabilize it during movement.
Movements that would incorporate the posterior oblique sling include:
- Lat activation (rowing or pulling movements)
- Glute activation on the opposite side (hip extension, external rotation, single leg stability)
The lateral step up with a banded row emphasizes more of the quad and glute med (single leg movement) with a banded row for lat activation. This is one of my favorite exercises to incorporate into my prenatal programming!
Watch the breakdown video to learn how to do it!
2) Release the Uneven Pull
Supporting strengthening with the release is also important! Strengthening exercises help to PULL the pelvis in the necessary direction, but mobility work can release what is pulling the pelvis in the opposite way.
Let’s break down three of my favorite mobility exercises to support my pelvic girdle pain relief.
2.1) Release the Left Pull: Hip Flexor and Quad Release
The left hip tends to have more of an anterior tilt, or forward tilt, causing the hip flexor and quad to be a bit tighter or restricted. Releasing the hip flexor and quad, then focusing on some pelvic tilts can help to release the uneven pull on the left side!
I love doing this circuit to release the left side, and the uneven pelvic tilts help me focus my efforts on the left side! Watch the video for a break down.
We incorporate mobility work like these into our prenatal fitness programs so you can stay comfortable throughout your pregnancy as you prepare for birth!
We emphasize more mobility work paired with strength training in our third-trimester programming.
Our 40-week prenatal fitness program syncs to your week of pregnancy and can be started at any time. This program is delivered via the Teambuildr app as a list of exercises with demo videos.
Our prenatal on-demand fitness program syncs to your trimester and can be started at any time! This program has workout videos that you watch and workout with at the same time.
2.2) Release the Right Pull: Adductor Release
On the right side, my adductor and hamstring tend to be more restricted. Releasing the inner thigh allows me to adjust my pelvic position to support external rotation! The adductor rock back is my go-to exercise to release tension in my inner thigh to find some relief from pelvic girdle pain! Watch the video below for a breakdown.
2.3) Side Body Opener
Another consideration is the thoracic spine positioning! Our thoracic spine position influences our pelvic position, which could be affecting our pelvic pain! For me, the right-side body tends to be more compressed, and I experience more lower right rib cage discomfort after a long day. Side body openers that focus on the right-side body help me find a ton of relief!
The 90/90 position also addresses the hip positions! Since we favor more of an internal rotation on the right and external rotation on the left, placing the legs in the opposite can help release some tension, as well.
Watch the video below for a breakdown of the 90/90 side body opener mobility exercise.
Other resources to consider:
You do not need to do this alone! You can work with a pelvic floor physical therapist during pregnancy and postpartum to find relief from pelvic girdle pain.
If your PT has not helped you find relief, FIND A NEW PT!
Pregnancy does NOT mean you need to be in pain!
You CAN find relief from pelvic girdle pain! Pelvic girdle pain is common during pregnancy, and unfortunately the response is “it will go away when you give birth, there is nothing you can do about it.”
That statement is far from the truth! There is a lot we can do to address pelvic girdle pain.
We may need to first understand our postural tendency so we can learn what muscles maybe need some strengthening and which ones need release. Once we have a better understanding of our body’s mechanics, we can address our pelvic pain and finally find some relief!
Hopefully, this blog has helped you find some initial relief!