Pain

PhearlessPhreaks
PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl 2 months ago, the delivery was easy, and I started exercising within a week of her birth. There was the normal discomfort of weakened muscles, ligaments and tendons, which I expected, and much of it has gone away, particularly in my lower abdomen.

Here's my problem: my hip joints hurt something fierce after a 2 mile walk (I try to walk daily, usually to the nearby park with my kids in a double stroller) or a yoga/pilates workout. The pain is sometimes so intense that I either take the following day off from exercise completely, or just do some light yoga. I understand it's going to take several months for my body to get back to "normal", but it's frustrating, especially because it's more painful now than in the first month PP. I have yet to go back to the gym, although I'm hoping doing some HIIT with an elliptical and focusing on strength training will be less aggravating to the area.

Anyone have tips on how to combat this pain?

edited for spelling.

Replies

  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    bump
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    wow, nothing? thanks for the help, mfp forum!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Um... calm down. Things slide of the boards and don't get seen sometimes.

    I'm guessing reluctance to respond will be about the recency of your birth, and a worry about giving advice that perhaps should come from a more expert postnatal source.

    What kind of exercise did you do postbirth?
    I assume it was reasonably gentle - walking, stretching? Full on yoga and pilates would have been too much in the first few weeks.

    I'm guessing the pain is suggesting you're trying to do too much too fast. Scale back. Talk to your medical team (do you have a midwife, health visitor, or someone like this that you can talk to?).

    I think, in your case, it would be ill advised to try to work through pain. It's never a very good idea, but with an unrecovered postnatal bod... I think it would be looking for trouble.

    So in short: keep it light, take it easy, and talk to your medical support team.
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    thanks for the reply; I'm calm :) just a little bummed at the lack of input... I started stretching and taking short walks about 5 days pp; I started doing a very easy yoga sequence (what I started doing 10 years ago when I first tried yoga) about a month pp, along with home workouts using my 12lb dumbbells ( was using 15lbs at the gym up to 34wks, when I stopped going) and my stability ball. Only in the last 2 weeks have I really noticed the pain, and its usually after going for a walk- I walk to the park with my girls, pushing the double stroller. The walk to the park is 1 mile, so its a 2 mile walk RT.

    Perhaps I'm doing too much, but it just seems strange that walking 2 miles (and obviously not all in one shot, we spend a good half hour or so at the park) would be too much... I was cleared for workouts at my 6wk pp checkup, and at that point, I hadn't had any pain.

    Just curious to see what people's thoughts were, perhaps you're right and not many feel comfortable giving advice in this situation.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    Severe joint pain (maybe really sciatica?) from 2 miles walks isn't normal. If you are heavy and not accustomed to exercise, it is possible that the pain will go away as you lose weight, but you should start by speaking to your doctor.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Jesus, get yourself to a doctor. Or at least a mommy forum.
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    Maybe I was a bit presumptuous in asking for input on here... we did a 2.5 mile walk Tues and a 3 mile walk yesterday, and no pain this morning. I'm wondering now if it was more having to do with the intense humidity that only recently broke. Ah well.... thanks anyway.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Did your doctor not tell you to take it easy for 6 weeks after giving birth? Your hip joints become extremely flexible during the time around birth to allow for the passage of the baby's head. You need to give them time to "firm" up again. It's fine to watch your calories and general walking should be fine but you don't start doing things that will put pressure on those joints immediately after birth.

    At this point you'll need to rest and hope you didn't do any damage that will haunt you the rest of your life.

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