---
title: "Understanding Pelvic Girdle Pain During and After Pregnancy"
id: "4350"
type: "post"
slug: "understanding-pelvic-girdle-pain-during-and-after-pregnancy"
published_at: "2025-01-16T08:37:52+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-08-14T11:05:31+00:00"
url: "https://www.allforone.com.au/understanding-pelvic-girdle-pain-during-and-after-pregnancy/"
markdown_url: "https://www.allforone.com.au/understanding-pelvic-girdle-pain-during-and-after-pregnancy.md"
excerpt: "Women’s Health Physiotherapy · Education If your pelvis has started complaining, at the front, deep in the buttock, rolling over in bed, this page explains what’s going on in plain English, and what actually helps. Pelvic girdle pain is one..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Women's Health Physiotherapy"
---

Women’s Health Physiotherapy · EducationIf your pelvis has started complaining, at the front, deep in the buttock, rolling over in bed, this page explains what’s going on in plain English, and what actually helps. Pelvic girdle pain is one of the most common companions of pregnancy, and it responds well to treatment for most women.

4.9★★★★★4.9 across 260+ Google reviews.

[Book an appointment](https://momence.com/appointments/appointment-reservation/37352)
  
[Call us](https://www.allforone.com.au/contact-us/)
  
A full hour with a women’s health physio. Appropriate at any stage of pregnancy. No referral needed.

01## What is pelvic girdle pain?

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is pain in the joints and ligaments of your pelvis. It’s usually felt at the front, over the pubic symphysis, or at the back, in the sacroiliac joints either side of your lower spine, and sometimes in the groin, hips or inner thighs. It ranges from a niggle that comes and goes to pain that changes how you walk, how you sleep and how you get through the day, and it is common: estimates range from about one in five pregnancies to one in three, depending on how it is defined and counted.

Here’s why pregnancy invites it. Hormonal changes, relaxin among them, soften the ligaments through the pelvis, and the joints get more movement than they are used to. That on its own doesn’t explain who gets pelvic girdle pain, because plenty of women have the same hormones and no pain at all. What seems to matter more is the combination: changing posture, a growing load through the joints, and core, glute and pelvic floor muscles being asked for more support than they currently have. None of this means anything is damaged.

And PGP isn’t only a pregnancy story: it can hang around, or first appear, after birth, when the tissues are still recovering and the muscles that support the pelvis haven’t caught up with what the days now demand. That version is just as treatable, however long it’s been. If your baby has arrived and it’s still with you, [start here →](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/postnatal-physiotherapy/)

Where pelvic girdle pain is commonly felt: the pubic symphysis at the front, the sacroiliac joints at the back, and the groin, hips and inner thighs.

02## Where is pelvic girdle pain felt?

Pelvic girdle pain is felt around the joints of the pelvis: at the front over the pubic symphysis, at the back over one or both sacroiliac joints either side of the base of your spine, in the groin, and spreading into the hips, the buttock and the inner thighs. It is often one-sided, and it can travel down the back of the thigh, usually without the pins and needles or numbness you’d expect from a nerve problem.

03## The rolling-over-in-bed pain.

PGP has signature moves. Pain rolling over in bed, or getting out of the car. A click or grind at the front of the pelvis. Standing on one leg to put pants on has become a balancing act you avoid. Stairs, long walks and the pram push all ask questions your pelvis doesn’t want to answer. If you’re nodding along, you’re in the right place, and none of this is something you simply put up with until the birth. Or after it.

04## Is it pelvic girdle pain or pelvic floor pain?

**The short version: PGP is joint pain around the pelvis, pelvic floor pain is muscle pain inside it.** Pelvic girdle pain sits over the pubic bone, the sacroiliac joints, the groin or the buttock, and movement provokes it: rolling over, standing on one leg, stairs, a long walk, getting out of the car.

**Pelvic floor pain is felt lower and deeper.** Inside the vagina or around the perineum, often as heaviness, burning, aching or a dragging feeling, and it tends to show up with sitting, emptying your bladder or bowels, or sex. It usually reflects pelvic floor muscles working too hard and holding too much tension, rather than being too weak, which is why blanket advice to do more pelvic floor squeezes can make it worse, and why [working out whether your pelvic floor is tight or weak](https://www.allforone.com.au/tight-or-weak-understanding-what-your-pelvic-floor-actually-needs/)
 comes before any exercise program.

The two travel together more often than not, because an overworking pelvic floor is a common companion of an irritated pelvis. You don’t have to sort out which is which on your own, and getting it wrong is easy. An internal or external assessment with a [women’s health physiotherapist](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/womens-health-physiotherapy/)
 usually sorts it out in one appointment, and both respond well to treatment.

05## Strength, support and a few smart adjustments.

**The right exercise is the backbone of treatment.** Targeted, symmetrical strengthening of the muscles that support your pelvis, the deep core, pelvic floor, glutes and inner thighs, gives the joints the support they are asking for, and where the pelvic floor is already working too hard, the job is to teach it to let go rather than to squeeze more, which is one of the things the assessment sorts out. This is exactly what physio-designed programs like [Prenatal Pilates](https://www.allforone.com.au/classes/prenatal-exercise/)
 are built for: strength, posture and alignment, adjusted to your body and your stage every week. Started before anything hurts, that same work is the closest thing to prevention there is, which is why plenty of women book in early rather than waiting for a bad week.

**Hands-on physiotherapy settles the pain.** Techniques like adductor release and joint mobilisation improve how the joints move and ease the irritation, while your physio fine-tunes the everyday things that keep stirring it up: a shorter stride when you walk, safe lifting (especially with a toddler in the house), and posture feedback matched to your body.

**Support garments buy you comfort while the strength builds.** A pelvic belt limits how much the joints move and gives a lot of women useful relief through the harder parts of the day. The research on belts is modest rather than emphatic: helpful for pain in the short term, less clear on function, and better as one part of a plan than as the plan. We fit them properly and we tell you when to use one, and if you are weighing up belts, bands and shorts there is more on [compression and support garments](https://www.allforone.com.au/understanding-compression-and-support-garments-during-pregnancy-and-postpartum/)
.

**And two things you can start today.** Sit with your feet hip-width apart and a belt looped just above your knees, press your knees gently outward at about half effort, hold for five seconds, and repeat five times. Then practise standing up from a chair with your feet flat and your weight through your heels, ten times, twice a day. Both wake up the glutes that steady your pelvis. They are a starting point rather than a program: what your pelvis actually needs comes out of an assessment.

06## How to ease pelvic girdle pain at home

**Keep your knees together.** The movements that hurt most are the ones asking one half of your pelvis to move independently of the other. Rolling over in bed, squeeze your knees together, keep your feet close, and turn as one piece. Getting out of the car, swing both legs out together and stand up from there rather than leading with one foot. Same idea getting out of a chair or a bath.

**A pillow between your knees at night.** Side-lying with a firm pillow between your knees and ankles keeps your pelvis level instead of letting the top leg drop across, and a smaller one under your bump takes the drag off the front. Small, unglamorous, genuinely effective, and often the difference between a broken night and a whole one.

**Shorten your stride, and shorten the walk.** Long strides load the pelvic joints near the end of their range, and long walks accumulate that load until it complains hours later. Two short walks usually cost you nothing and give you the same movement.

**Take single-leg loading out of the day where you can.** Sit down to put pants, socks and shoes on. Take stairs one at a time, and use a rail. Don’t stand with your weight parked on one hip while you wait, and swap the baby or the shopping from side to side rather than always carrying on your favourite one.

**On flare days, use the belt.** A pelvic support belt worn low over the hips, not up around your waist, steadies the joints while things settle, and it works best used for the harder parts of the day rather than worn all day every day. Get it fitted rather than guessed, because the wrong position on the wrong day is the usual reason people decide belts don’t work.

These are the things that make a flare more manageable while the strength catches up. They are not a substitute for a plan built around your pelvis, and if you are doing all of this and it is still shaping your day, that is the point to get it assessed.

### When pelvic pain needs more than a physio

Most pelvic girdle pain is exactly what it looks like. A few things are not, and they want a midwife, your GP or the hospital rather than an appointment next week. Call your maternity unit or 000 straight away if you have vaginal bleeding or fluid loss, regular tightenings before 37 weeks, a fever, burning when you wee, or pain in your belly that is constant rather than movement-related. Same for calf pain, swelling or redness in one leg, and for sudden severe pain that leaves you unable to take weight on a leg at all.

Numbness around your saddle area, new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or weakness in both legs needs an emergency department the same day. None of these are common. They are just the ones worth knowing.

07## The three things that make it last longer.

**Pushing through it.** The idea that pain in pregnancy is something to endure rather than treat is both outdated and unhelpful, and it applies just as much to the other things pregnancy brings on, [the numb, buzzing hands of pregnancy carpal tunnel](https://www.allforone.com.au/pregnancy-related-carpal-tunnel-syndrome-why-does-it-happen-what-can-we-do-to-help/)
 among them. PGP often gets harder to manage as the load increases through the pregnancy. Pelvic girdle pain that is severe during the pregnancy is more likely to still be around after the birth, so there is no advantage in waiting to see whether it settles on its own.

**Generic advice.** “Strengthen your core” is not a treatment plan. Neither is “rest more” or “avoid stairs”. What helps one woman can be irrelevant, or counterproductive, for another, which is why the useful version of all this starts with an assessment rather than a rule of thumb.

**Doing nothing because it feels manageable.** Mild symptoms left alone have a habit of escalating as the pregnancy goes on and the demands on your pelvis increase. Treating it while it is still an inconvenience is almost always easier than treating it once it is a limitation.

08## Pelvic girdle pain after birth

For most women, PGP settles markedly in the weeks after birth. The load comes off the pelvis, hormone levels shift back, and the joints stop being asked for more than they can give. For a minority it stays: around one in ten still have symptoms well beyond the early weeks, more often when the pain was severe during the pregnancy or went untreated, and for some women it turns up for the first time postnatally.

What keeps it grumbling is usually the shape of the postnatal day. Feeding for long stretches in a slumped or twisted position. Carrying a baby parked on one hip, then a capsule out of the car with a twist. Prams, floor time, and getting up off the couch a hundred times with a baby in one arm. Broken sleep on top of all of it, which leaves every tissue in your body less tolerant than it was. None of this is damage, and none of it is a reason to wait and see for another six months. Nor does it mean leaving the baby with someone: the strengthening work can happen with them in the room, which is what our [Mums and Bubs classes](https://www.allforone.com.au/classes/mums-and-bubs/)
 are for.

The useful move is to have it looked at early. Your [Postnatal Check](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/6-week-postnatal-check/)
 is built for exactly this: pelvis, pelvic floor, abdominal wall and how you’re moving, assessed rather than assumed, so pain that is fading gets left alone and pain that is settling in gets a plan. If you are further out than six weeks, or years out, that appointment still applies. Persistent PGP responds well to treatment for most women, however long it has been, and the postnatal version usually needs strength more than it needs rest.

Because it does get better.

09## One unhurried hour, then a plan that carries you.

PGP care here starts with a [pregnancy physiotherapy appointment](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/pregnancy-physiotherapy/)
: a full hour with a [women’s health physiotherapist](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/womens-health-physiotherapy/)
, appropriate at any stage of pregnancy. Your whole story first, then a thorough assessment of your pelvis, strength and movement, hands-on treatment started the same visit, and a written plan home with you, including any belt or garment fitting you need.

Then the plan has somewhere to live: [Prenatal Pilates](https://www.allforone.com.au/classes/prenatal-exercise/)
 taught by the same physios, adjusted around your pelvis every single class. From 34 weeks, our Birth Preparation appointment readies your pelvic floor and your positions for labour. And after the birth, your [Postnatal Check](https://www.allforone.com.au/treatment/6-week-postnatal-check/)
 makes sure the recovery gets assessed rather than assumed, because treating PGP properly now is also how you protect the years after.

[Book an appointment](https://momence.com/appointments/appointment-reservation/37352)

10## Your women’s health physios

Every women’s health physiotherapist at All for One has postgraduate training in pelvic health. Pregnancy-related pelvic pain, birth preparation and postnatal recovery are their every day, and nothing you describe will be new to them.

11## Earlier is easier. Now is fine.

PGP is highly treatable, and the sooner it’s assessed, the less it gets to take from your pregnancy: the walks, the sleep, the toddler lifts. If it’s changing how you move, sleep or plan your day, that’s the sign. You don’t need a referral, and you don’t need to wait for it to get worse to deserve the appointment.

12## Three Melbourne studios, one team.

Our women’s health physiotherapists consult at [Yarraville](https://www.allforone.com.au/physiotherapy-yarraville/)
 in the inner west ([03 8319 9945](tel:0383199945)
), [Hampton East](https://www.allforone.com.au/hampton-east-physiotherapy/)
 in the bayside south east ([03 9086 3740](tel:0390863740)
), and [Kensington](https://www.allforone.com.au/physiotherapy-clinic-kensington/)
 in the inner north west, Level 1 of the Kensington YMCA ([03 8319 9946](tel:0383199946)
). HICAPS on the spot, Medicare Care Plans welcome.

## Your pelvis is asking for support. Let’s give it some.

Book a pregnancy physio appointment at whichever studio suits, or call and tell us what’s going on and how far along you are. We’ll take it from there, and yes, congratulations.

[Book an appointment](https://momence.com/appointments/appointment-reservation/37352)
  
[Call us](https://www.allforone.com.au/contact-us/)

## Whenever you’re ready. Any trimester, or after.

A full hour with a women’s health physiotherapist, safe at every stage of pregnancy and just as useful once the baby has arrived. Choose your studio below, or [call us](tel:0383199945)
 and tell us what’s going on and how far along you are.

YarravilleInner WestHampton EastBayside South East

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FAQ## Pelvic girdle pain: your questions

What does pelvic girdle pain feel like?Pain at the front of the pelvis, in the buttock or groin, often worst rolling over in bed, getting out of the car, standing on one leg, or on stairs and long walks. Clicking or grinding at the pubic bone is common too.

  Where is pelvic girdle pain felt?Most often over the pubic symphysis at the front of the pelvis, over one or both sacroiliac joints at the back, and in the groin, hips, buttock and inner thighs. It is frequently one-sided and can spread down the back of the thigh, usually without the pins and needles of a nerve problem.

  Is pelvic girdle pain normal in pregnancy?It’s common, affecting somewhere between one in five and one in three pregnancies, but common isn’t the same as something you have to put up with. PGP responds well to physiotherapy, targeted strengthening and support garments at any stage of pregnancy.

  How can I ease pelvic girdle pain at home?Keep your knees together for the movements that hurt: rolling over in bed, getting out of the car, standing up from a chair. Sleep side-lying with a pillow between your knees, shorten your stride and your walks, and sit down to dress rather than balancing on one leg. A fitted pelvic support belt helps on flare days. These make it manageable while the strengthening work does the rest.

  When should I worry about pelvic pain in pregnancy?Most pelvic girdle pain is a joint and muscle problem rather than anything urgent. Call your maternity unit or 000 straight away if pelvic or low back pain comes with vaginal bleeding or fluid loss, regular tightenings before 37 weeks, a fever, burning when you wee, or belly pain that is constant rather than movement-related. The same goes for calf pain, swelling or redness in one leg. Numbness around your saddle area, new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or weakness in both legs needs an emergency department the same day. None of these are common, and none of them are pelvic girdle pain.

  How do I know if it’s pelvic girdle pain or pelvic floor pain?Pelvic girdle pain is joint pain around the pelvis, felt over the pubic bone, sacroiliac joints, groin or buttock, and provoked by movement. Pelvic floor pain is muscle pain inside the pelvis, felt lower and deeper, and more often provoked by sitting, emptying your bladder or bowels, or sex. They overlap and often occur together. An assessment with a women’s health physio tells them apart, and both are treatable.

  Can pelvic girdle pain be prevented?Not always, but a lot of it can be headed off. Building strength through the deep core, pelvic floor, glutes and inner thighs before the load increases, and adjusting how you walk, lift and stand as the pregnancy goes on, both help. Starting before the pain does gives you the most room to work with.

  Does pelvic girdle pain go away after birth?For most women it improves markedly in the first few weeks after birth, as the load on the pelvis changes and hormone levels settle. Around one in ten still have symptoms beyond the early postnatal period, more often when the pain was severe or went untreated during the pregnancy, and it can also first appear postnatally while the tissues are still recovering and strength rebuilds. Persistent PGP is just as treatable after birth, however long it’s been.

  How does a physio treat pelvic girdle pain?A thorough assessment, hands-on treatment such as joint mobilisation and muscle release, a symmetrical strengthening program for the core, pelvic floor, glutes and inner thighs, practical adjustments to walking, lifting and posture, and pelvic belt fitting where it helps.

  Do pelvic support belts actually work?Many women find a belt takes the edge off, particularly for walking, standing and the parts of the day that stir the pelvis up. The research supports short-term pain relief more strongly than it supports lasting change in function, which is why belts work best alongside a strengthening program rather than instead of one. Fit matters, and a badly positioned belt is the usual reason someone decides belts don’t work.

  What exercises help pelvic girdle pain?Symmetrical strengthening of the deep core, pelvic floor, glutes and inner thighs, pitched at your stage of pregnancy. Glute activation with a belt looped above the knees and sit-to-stands from a chair are a common starting point, and physio-taught Prenatal Pilates builds from there. Which ones help you specifically comes out of an assessment, because the wrong exercise can stir the joints up rather than settle them.

  Can I keep exercising with pelvic girdle pain?Usually yes, with the right modifications, and the right exercise is part of the treatment. Physio-taught Prenatal Pilates is built for exactly this, adjusted to your pelvis each week.

  Where can I see a physio for pelvic girdle pain in Melbourne?All for One’s women’s health physiotherapists treat PGP at Yarraville, Hampton East and Kensington, with full-hour appointments, no referral needed and HICAPS on the spot.
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