Written by

Gina Conley, MS

February 27, 2024

Say Goodbye to Pelvic Pain: 10 Tips for Lasting Relief

Fitness, Postnatal, Prenatal

Pain is not a requirement of pregnancy! You may be suffering from pelvic pain, and its likely the only solution you were given was: “it will go away when you give birth.” This is can incredibly defeating, especially if you have MONTHS left of your pregnancy!

And the worst part is if you don’t address the pelvic pain now, you will likely still have pelvic pain into the postpartum. It does not just magically go away since you’re postpartum!

In this blog, we will be discussing what you can do to find relief from pelvic pain! You’ll learn what causes pelvic pain and how you can approach finding relief NOW!

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A post shared by Gina, MS, & Roxanne, RN, BSN (@mamastefit)

During your pregnancy, you can incorporate the exercises we discuss in this blog and more to help prevent or minimize pelvic pain! I have had SI joint pain in all of my pregnancies but have been able to manage it well with the exercises we include in our prenatal fitness programs–and I’ve helped hundreds of our fitness clients alleviate their pelvic pain too! Sign up for our newsletter to grab a sample of our prenatal fitness programs to figure out which option is the best for you!

What causes pelvic pain?

First, let’s discuss what are the main causes of pelvic pain. When you understand WHY you might be having pelvic pain, it will help you figure out what solutions may make the most sense for you.

The two main causes of pelvic pain include:

Pelvic Position: can the pelvis change position based on your stance to allow the joints the compress to stabilize?
Muscular Coordination: how well do the muscles that support the pelvic joints work together to stabilize them?

The combination of these two factors can contribute toward pelvic pain during pregnancy and in the postpartum. So, what can you do?

First, you can focus on releasing uneven tension in the supporting muscles. This can release the uneven pull on the pelvis that may be keeping it “stuck” in this torqued position.

Then, you can focus on strengthening the opposing muscles so they can pull the pelvis into a different position based on your movement.

After that, you can focus on strengthening the myofascial slings that support the muscular coordination across the pelvic joints.

Let’s break down examples of each exercise!

And if you want a quick workout for SPD, front pelvic pain, check out this YouTube video. This workout video includes balancing and strengthening exercises that address each of these factors.

6-Minute Front Pelvic Pain Relief Workout

Pelvic Position: Release the Uneven Tension

First up, let’s discuss how you can release the uneven tension pull on the pelvis. Most of us will have some sort of asymmetrical stance where the left hip rotates more forward, as the right hip rotates more backward. In this common stance, there tends to be an uneven tension in the muscles on each side.

Commonly, the right inner thigh (adductor) is shortened and tighter compared to the left side, and the left glute/pelvic floor is tighter compared to the right side.

With this in mind, we can focus on release the inner thigh and glute/pelvic floor on each side to allow the pelvis to shift into the opposite position and more easily.

Let’s breakdown three exercises you can try for this!

1. Release the Inner Thigh: Adductor Rock Back

The inner thigh muscles, known as the adductors, attach to the pelvis and have a huge influence on pelvic stability and pelvic floor function! Commonly, one adductor may be tighter or shorter than the other, which can cause an uneven pull on the pubic symphysis joint.

The adductor rock back is a great exercise to try to release tension in the overly tight adductor muscle (usually the right side, but experiment in your body of what you feel that you may need).

If you find the adductor rock back is not accessible, especially if you have severe pubic symphysis pain (SPD), you can try to massage the inner thigh with hand or a handheld massage tool. You can even work with a physical therapist to have dry needling or cupping on the inner thigh, even during pregnancy.

If you’d prefer to listen to our tips on how to find relief from pelvic pain, take a listen to our podcast episode all about pelvic pain! New episodes on the MamasteFit Podcast every Wednesday and new birth stories every Friday. Listen to the MamasteFit Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.

2. Release the Glute and Pelvic Floor: All Fours Hip Shift

Next, we have the glute and pelvic floor! There may also be an uneven pull or tension in the glute and pelvic floor that could be pulling the pelvis into one set position. If the pelvis has a hard time shifting its position under movement, it can cause pelvic pain.

Hip shifted exercises are my go-to exercises to release glute and pelvic floor tension. A hip shift in vital to pelvic stability, pelvic floor function, and if you’re pregnant, is important as a part of birth preparation to open the lower pelvis.

Here are two hip shift exercises to try: an all fours with a mini band, and then a foam roller supported hip shift! You may find one feels better for you than the other, but these are both included in our prenatal fitness programs (plus more) to help you stay comfortable throughout your pregnancy as you prep for birth,

3. Release the Glute and Pelvic Floor: Foam Roller Supported Hip Shifts

For daily workouts tailored to your pregnancy journey, consider joining our online prenatal workout programs! Our workouts are customized to your week of pregnancy, with trimester-specific modifications to support you at every stage. Say goodbye to guesswork and stay strong throughout your pregnancy journey as you prepare for birth with our expert guidance!

Our prenatal and postnatal fitness programs are offered in two formats:

Teambuildr App: list of exercises with demo videos with options to track your weights and progress within the app!
On-Demand Videos: full length workout videos you follow as you workout at the same time

Fix the Unbalanced Pull on the Pelvis: Strengthen the Opposing Muscles

Next, after we have released the uneven tension on the pelvis, we can strengthen the muscles that suppo0rt the pelvis so they can PULL the pelvis into a different position more easily.

Usually, one side may be a little weaker (or less strong) than the opposing side. This could be why we favor a certain side a little more!

Commonly, the left inner thigh and hamstring are on the weaker side and the right glute and quad on not as strong as the left. Keep this in mind as you approach these exercises–you may NOT need to do both sides with every single exercise! Which can be really hard to accept. But explore the movements, and if it feels good to do both sides, that is totally fine too!

4. Glute Strengthening: Lateral Band Walk and Modifications

One exercise you can do strengthens the outer glute musculature–the lateral band walk and other abduction-focused exercises.

However, the lateral band walk and exercises where you spread the legs apart may be painful if you have SPD. If that is the case, scroll to the second video to find the hip thrust with iso band hold! This variation allows you to still strengthen the outer glutes WITHOUT having to spread the legs apart!

5. Glute and Quad Strengthening: Bulgarian Split Squats

Next, we can strengthen the glute and quads with single leg focused exercises, such as the Bulgarian split squats. Commonly, we need to target more of the right side (since that side is a little weaker), but it’s okay to do both sides if that feels good for you.

In this exercise, as you lower, focus on finding internal rotation at the hip where the belly rotates toward the forward thigh. This internal rotation is similar to a hip shift and enhances pelvic stability!

6. Adductor Strengthening: Copenhagen Planks

Moving onto the inner thigh, known as the adductor muscles, we have the Copenhagen plank! This exercise is one of the best for inner thigh strengthening, as much as my fitness clients hate it (I apologize for nothing). The inner thighs play a large role in pelvic stability and pelvic floor function, so strengthening this muscle is so important.

Commonly, the left inner thigh is weaker compared to the right, so try to focus your efforts more on the left side. If you need to make the movement easier, place the lower knee on the floor to add as some support but keep the effort in the top inner thigh!

7. Hamstring Strengthening: RDLs

Another group of muscles that supports pelvic stability are the hamstrings, the muscles on the back of the thighs. Hinge focused exercises can strengthen these muscles, such as staggered stance RDLs or even the more traditional deadlift. I prefer the staggered stance variation for pelvic stability since I can focus on one side and add in more hip rotation (remember, internal hip rotation aids in pelvic stability).

Just wanted to reach out and thank you ladies for your work. I was almost in tears trying to walk with my 2yo at 31 weeks because of SI pain. As someone who annoyingly loves pregnancy, I was wanting to push fast forward on this one. I finally figured I had nothing to lose and purchased your Pelvic Stability Program and made a chiropractic appointment. I’m 36 weeks and I feel like myself again. I also have zero SPD pain, which I had with my daughter. I’m a personal trainer and pre and postnatal certified, I am shook by how much this is teaching me and different ways to look at movement for discomfort.

Some of the best money I’ve spent has been during my pregnancy has been on the pelvic stability program (amazing to no longer be in pain) and now going through the childbirth education course!

I know nothing is a quick fix and I’m going to have to consistently keep working on strength and mobility but oh my goodness I’ve been doing your 3 week pelvic stability guide for just 3 days now and today I was able to go on a 4 mile walk without SIJ pain!!!

Improve Muscular Coordination to Stabilize Pelvic Joints

After we “correct” the pelvic position and improve the mobility of the pelvis, we can improve the muscular coordination of the muscles that support the pelvic joints. These exercises will primarily focus on the myofascial slings.

The myofascial slings are:

Anterior Oblique Sling: runs from the chest/oblique to opposite inner thigh. This sling helps to stabilize across the front pelvic joint, and can also support diastasis rehab and c-section reconnection.
Posterior Oblique Sling: runs from the lat to opposite glute. This sling supports the back pelvic joints, and can help with lower back pain too.
Lateral Sling: this runs from the outer glute to the inner thigh of the same leg. This sling helps with single leg stability and also supports both the pubic symphysis and SI joints.
Deep Longitudinal Sling: this runs from the back of the neck all the way to the back of the ankle on one side of the body. This sling helps to stabilize the SI joints.

Let’s explore three exercises you can do to strengthen the myofascial slings to support pelvic stability. We include exercises like these in all of our fitness programs to support core strengthening and pelvic stability.

10-Minute SI Joint Pain Relief Workout

8. Front Pelvic Joint Stability: Anterior Oblique Sling

The front pelvic joint, known as the pubic symphysis, is supported by the anterior oblique sling and lateral slings. The anterior oblique sling runs from the chest/oblique (side abs) to the opposite inner thigh (adductor). The simultaneous contraction of the two ends of this sling compress the pubic symphysis during movement.

What type of movements involve the anterior oblique sling? Movements that involve rotation to the front of the body! You can imagine bringing the shoulder to the opposite knee such as with the diagonal pull down exercise demoed below. Rotational movements are great core exercises for pregnancy, and can be great for pelvic stability, as well! We also love the anterior oblique sling for c-section reconnection and diastasis rehab–so there is a lot of benefit with incorporating exercises like these into your workout routine both during pregnancy and postpartum.

9. Back Pelvic Joint Stability: Posterior Oblique Sling

Opposing the anterior oblique sling is the posterior oblique sling. This sling runs from the lat to opposite glute. This sling helps to stabilize the lower back and SI joint region. If you have more back pelvic pain, this sling will be important to focus on as a part of your workout routine.

The posterior oblique sling helps to stabilize the lower back region with simultaneous contraction of the two ends of the sling: the lats and the glutes. You can do this with exercises that emphasize a rowing movement (lat engagement) and hip extension (glute engagement). We love to program the reverse lunge row as a posterior oblique sling exercise to stabilize the SI joint.

10. Single Leg Stability: Lateral Sling

Another important sling is the lateral sling–this sling supports both the front and back pelvic joints. This sling runs from the outer glute to the inner thigh of the same leg. Exercises that focus on single-leg movements, such as step ups, are great to strengthen the lateral sling.

However, single leg movements may be painful with pelvic pain! If so, try to add some support such as holding onto a sturdy structure as you do step ups. You can also decrease overall movement by keeping one foot on the box. Watch the video for some modification tips if single leg movements are painful.

Pain is not a requirement of pregnancy! There is hope! Hopefully these exercise help you find more pelvic mobility and improve the muscular coordination to support pelvic stability.

If you want more, join our prenatal and postnatal fitness programs. We incorporate exercises like these and more to keep you strong and pain-free as you move through pregnancy and motherhood.