This week I’ve tried to walk most days but I can really feel myself slowing down.  Even working has started to become tiring.  Tiredness effects us all eventually at different times, I can’t remember being this tired with my daughter, but I am assured I was.  I am also assured that I am trying to do much more this time around!  Many ladies suffer from pubic symphysis disorder (SPD) during their pregnancies.  I’ve been lucky so far with both of mine not to have suffered with this (touch wood).  It is a painful condition affecting the pelvic area which can be at the front of the pelvis or the rear, or both if you are really unlucky!  As the pregnancy progresses, hormones that help with the birthing process relax of the smooth muscle and ligamentous tissue in the body, allowing the pelvic girdle to widen to allow the baby to pass through at birth.  However this can cause a great deal of discomfort in the lead up to the birth, and in the worst cases it can leave the mother immobile and in a lot of pain, making it hard to carry out the simplest of tasks such as walking.  There are many different techniques we as therapists can do to help with these issues.  Mobilisations to the back and sacrum can help. Simple stretching can also help take the strain out of the adductors to reduce the pain at the front of the pubic bone.  We can also apply various tapping techniques with k-tape or rock tape to help lift the bump, which are much more comfortable that the belts provided by the NHS.  We can also provide you with the correct and gentile exercises to help with this terrible condition. I’ve got my staff on standby but hopefully I won’t need them for this!