Osteopathy for Pelvic Girdle Pain

Freedom from pelvic pain

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP)/symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) can be painful and debilitating. As one of the UK’s leading Osteopathic centres of excellence for PGP/SPD, we often welcome women across the country for treatment and support.

Every woman’s pain is different. Our personalised treatment plans are tailored specifically to your needs and pregnancy. Through Osteopathy, you can get back to focusing on your body and your baby, not on your pain.

Pelvic Girdle

A long-standing centre of excellence for PGP

Quentin Shaw, lead Osteopath and practice manager at Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths, is one of the UK’s leading Osteopathic experts for treating PGP/SPD. He was one of the first Osteopaths in the country to treat the condition in the 1990s.

Over the last 30 years, Quentin has had hundreds of reviews from satisfied patients and has been featured in the BBC and the Guardian. He is well-known for his expertise, regularly welcoming women across the country to the practice. As a former lecturer in Osteopathy, Quentin has also been training the wider Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths team to deliver high-quality PGP treatments.

What is PGP/SPD?

Pelvic pain is felt in the joints, ligaments and muscles that make up the pelvic girdle. The pain can come on suddenly or be chronic and uncomfortable. The area of pain may vary, but will likely be around your pelvic area, your lower abdomen or your lower back.

If you have PGP, you may struggle with everyday tasks, such as walking, standing, or getting in and out of the car or bath. This isn’t something you want to deal with when you are busy growing a baby. Although pelvic pain often goes away after birth, for some women, the pain can continue for many years.

Pelvic pain in pregnancy can be effectively treated with Classical Osteopathy. Each treatment plan varies from person to person, depending whether you are pregnant or postpartum.

This illustration is an artistic impression or a spine. It is not medically precise and should not be used as a reference of anatomical accuracy.

How is PGP/SPD treated in pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a difficult time for your body. At Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths, we aim to free you from pain by realigning the structure and function of your pelvis, spinal column, and any other affected areas. 

Our highly-trained Osteopaths use a variety of techniques to improve your pelvic girdle pain. This includes gentle manipulation, soft tissue release, and articulatory techniques. All our treatments are non-invasive and gentle, helping to reduce pain levels, improve strength, mobility, flexibility and stabilise the pelvic girdle.

Please note that although there is no evidence of Osteopathy increasing the risk of miscarriage, we do not advise treatments during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Pelvic Girdle

How quickly will I recover?

We recommend coming for treatment as soon as possible after your symptoms appear for the quickest chance of recovery. Treatment in the latter stages of pregnancy can help to relieve and prevent your pain from getting worse.

If your PGP is severe, you may require treatment every week. For mild and moderate cases, you may need to come every two to three weeks until your body is stable.

Success stories during pregnancy

Sacha

I was becoming more physically disabled and after giving birth was unable to lift my son without assistance. Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths has given me my independence back. My body feels free and it is really exciting to think I can now lift my son without so much strain and anguish.

Helen

All advice went against everything I’d read or been told by other health professionals, but I was prepared to listen to the expert, bearing in mind nobody else seemed to have anything positive to say about SPD. I continued to see Quentin throughout the remainder of my pregnancy and remained crutch free and in little or no pain.

Poppy

I never needed to use crutches, or a wheelchair during my fourth pregnancy, despite being disabled in my third pregnancy. I would urge any SPD sufferer or indeed, anyone suffering back pain to visit Quentin at Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths. His skills as an osteopath are quite extraordinary. I would go so far as to say he has x-ray vision.

Read more stories from happy patients here

How is PGP treated in post-partum women?

If you suffer from PGP/SPD after pregnancy, it is often caused by an unresolved misalignment of the pelvis that occurred during the pregnancy or from giving birth. We will work with you to help you on your recovery journey. 

If you have suffered from PGP/SPD for years after pregnancy and have not sought support yet, don’t worry – it’s never too late. We can help you but recovery may take a big longer. This is because your body has likely made compensatory changes to adapt to the pain, so you need a bit more time to make steady progress for a full recovery. 

It is likely that one treatment will not provide a miracle cure. However, through a tailored treatment plan you will see less pain, more mobility, and more activity levels as the weeks progress.

Pregnancy Osteopathy in Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths

Success stories after pregnancy

C Wright

I expected SPD to go away after pregnancy, but continued to get pelvic, hip, and sacroiliac joint pain. I really felt old before my time. I went to see Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths and Quentin told me more in five minutes than anyone had been able to tell me in five years!

Liz

My life was a mess. I knew I couldn’t spend another year moving between relapses and doctors visits. I had originally dismissed Tunbridge Wells due to the distance between us (I live in Staffordshire) but I knew I had to give it a go. 

[Visiting Tunbridge Wells Osteopaths] was the catalyst to my change in fortune. I hobbled into the reception area on my crutches and left with no crutches, and no need for them either.

Katherine

I lived on a concoction of prescription painkillers that rendered me senseless. Despite being two counties away from Tunbridge Wells, I thought it was worth a shot. Quentin instantly saw the appalling state my posture was in and set about fixing me. [Many] years on, I cannot thank Quentin enough for giving me my life back

Read more stories from happy patients here

Get in touch

5 Upper Grosvenor Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN1 2DU
United Kingdom

+ 44 (0)1892 535858