The aim of manual therapy treatment for pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is to assess the position and the symmetry of movement of your pelvic joints, especially the sacroiliac joints at the back of the pelvis. A thorough assessment will help your manual therapist to identify which joint/s is causing the problem and then treat it. You should expect to feel an improvement or some relief of your symptoms after each treatment. Keep going until you are completely pain-free and back to moving normally after you have had your baby. 

Gentle hands-on techniques are used to treat PGP and these focus on making sure that the pelvic joints are moving symmetrically and normally. Treatment involves a combination of joint mobilisation and soft-tissue or muscle treatment including myofascial release, muscle energy techniques and trigger point release, with or without the use of dry needling. Joints will need to be mobilised if they are stiff or ‘stuck’ and are not working symmetrically. Muscles supporting the pelvis are also likely to become tight or go into spasm if they are trying to compensate for pain and stiffness in one or more of your pelvic joints. This muscle tightness will often need to be released as part of the treatment to allow the joint/s to move normally and prevent the problem from recurring. This combination of getting the joints moving normally and releasing tight muscles will then reduce your pain.

This treatment is offered by physiotherapists, chiropractors or osteopaths with training and experience in treating PGP.