What If…There is Sacroiliac (Low Back) Pain

What If…There is Sacroiliac (Low Back) Pain

Sacroiliac Pain Sucks! It is indeed a bit more specific than ‘low back pain’ with labor.

Sacroiliac Pain is deep, sharp pain, sometimes stabbing, reported just to one side of your midline, deep and low next to your butt-crease. If this is you, watch this video for positions to try and avoid, and see the list of text below.

Delivery Positions to TRY with Sacroiliac Pain

  1. Any position where our legs are supported, or bearing weight SYMMETRICALLY. I.e.,…
  2. Semi-reclined against birth ball, wall, partner, with feet apart and knees resting together, while relaxing my pelvic floor :).
  3. Mid-range squats, especially with level pressure on each leg.
  4. Hands and knees, if tolerated.
  5. Symmetrical Tall kneeling, if tolerated.
  6. Counter-pressure: Work together, but typically lower counter pressure to hip bones (outer thighs) will feel great. Try different things, though. Start with light pressure…if that’s okay, build pressure. If it doesn’t work, try something else. Whatever feels good, go with that!
  7. TENS Units, set up lower on spine, can reduce SI pain

Delivery Positions to AVOID with Sacroiliac Pain

  1. Avoid walking in early stages of labor.
  2. Avoid having McRoberts Procedure done to you (a manual technique to turn baby), if possible. Studies have shown this is correlated with worsening of SI pain.
  3. Avoid positions where weight is unequally balanced
  4. Avoid positions where legs are apart from one another (lunge, wide squat, side lunge, etc)
  5. “FABER” Position (laying on back with one knee bend up and out to outside–this crams the sh!t out of the SI joint on the same side and will make you one sad panda.
  6. Lithotomy Position (if possible), because this ‘traps’ the SI joint in its unhappiness. If you MUST be here, please put a towel roll under one side (trial painful side…then non-painful side…one will be better. Keep the towel under the side that feels better). This makes SI joint happy, and allows coccyx (tailbone) to move out of way, so baby can come out 🙂