Pregnancy Pain Relief

If you have been dealing with hip pain or back pain, it may be a sign that it is time to get pelvic support. The Serola Sacroiliac Belt is designed to help support your pelvis and back, thus giving you more effective strength in your back, hips, and legs.  By wearing our belt, you are taking the first step in conservative care and treating your body well.  When the belt is being worn, it acts as an external ligament to help support the body and stabilize the SI joint.

If you want to get relief from low back pain, do not waste any more time. By relieving your back pain with the Serola Sacroiliac Belt you can feel happier and less stressed. Contact Serola today! We can help you get your pain-free body back.  Your body will thank you!

HOW SEROLA SACROILIAC BELT CAN RELIEVE BACK AND HIP PAIN DURING PREGNANCY 

The importance of using the Serola Sacroiliac Belt during and, especially, after pregnancy cannot be overemphasized. During pregnancy, the ligaments, under hormonal influences, become lax and stretch to allow the pelvis to spread for delivery. It is important to hold the sacroiliac and pubic joints firmly together after delivery in order to assist the ligaments in shortening and realigning the pelvis properly.  If you are pregnant and in need of relief from pelvic pain, the Serola Sacroiliac Belt will help.

Historically, women in many countries wrapped their pelvis with a cloth after pregnancy to help alleviate pain after childbirth.

“After childbirth 147 patients used a pelvic belt. Of these patients, 10% reported more pain, 23% no effect, & 67% a positive effect.” J.M.A. Mens, et al 1992 “To remain stable, the SIJ utilizes a self-bracing mechanism consisting of the ligaments and muscles, as described by Vleeming, et al. This biomechanical model endorses the benefit of a sacroiliac belt for treatment of peripartum pain.” Snijders CJ 1992

Studies have shown that, because all pelvic joints loosen during pregnancy, the use of a sacroiliac belt will most likely prevent associated pain during and after pregnancy. Snijders, et al 1992, Vleeming, et al 1990, Hansen JH 1992

“The influence of physical activities on pelvic pain and the relief with the use of a pelvic belt in about 60% of the patients implicates the locomotor system as a cause of pelvic pain and not an inner organ such as the uterus.” The use of a maternity support belt appears to be useful in treating peripartum pelvic pain. Snijders, et al 1992

Serola Sacroiliac Belts are the only belts endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association – Section On Women’s Health.

“Dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint was found in two-thirds of the women with severe back pain. This is important because dysfunction of the sacroiliac joints should be treated differently from other causes of low back pain. Backache tended to remain a problem after delivery among two-thirds of the women with severe pain during pregnancy. In some women, the pain persisted at least a year after the delivery. Most women treated with the trochanteric belt reported good results.” (Fast, et al. 1990) A trochanteric belt is the same as a sacroiliac belt.

In a study of 407 pregnant women, Ostgaard, et al. demonstrated a reduction of posterior pelvic pain in 82% of the women with the use of a non-elastic sacroiliac belt, especially while walking. They stated that “The use of a low non-elastic sacroiliac belt was a cost-effective unharmful tool for pain relief in many women with posterior pelvic pain.” (Ostgaard 1994) Because no side effects were found, they recommended the use of non-elastic sacroiliac belts for pregnant women who experienced posterior pelvic pain.

In a study of 862 women during pregnancy, Berg, et al. found that “49% experienced backache and one-third of these women considered the backache severe…The most common reason for severe low back pain was the dysfunction of the sacroiliac joints…and 79 women developed such severe pain that they were unable to continue work… Of these 79 women with severe pain, 72% experienced relief with a trochanteric (sacroiliac) belt.” (Berg, 1988)

Nilsson-Wikmar et al. divided 118 pregnant women into three groups, one with only a pelvic belt and an informational brochure on their condition with no exercise program. The other two groups were given different types of exercise programs, in addition to the belt and brochure. All women were tested at week 38 of pregnancy and 3, 6, and 12 weeks postpartum. They state that “At the three-month follow-up, 57% in group 1 and 35% in group 2 and 3 were pain-free…In conclusion, pelvic pain diagnosed during pregnancy seems to improve with time in all three different treatment groups.” (Nilsson-Wikmar, 1998) However, it should be noted that the group with only the belt and informational brochure benefited the most.

Menstruation may make SIJ stabilization more difficult to acquire and maintain. DonTigny states “The presence of relaxin in the body about a week or 10 days before the onset of menstruation effects a hormonal ligamentous laxity similar to that of pregnancy but to a lesser degree and renders the pelvic ligaments less stable and, thus, more prone to a minor injury. The relaxin is reabsorbed during menstruation and if the innominate is kept in its normal position on the sacrum at this time, the pelvic ligaments seem to regain their normal stability. I have observed that if the dysfunction is not corrected, the instability may continue into the next menstrual cycle.” (DonTigny, 1985) It would seem appropriate then since a proper sacroiliac belt can help stabilize the sacroiliac joint, its use during menstruation would be beneficial.