# Loose joints post-pardum?



## Mother Mel (Mar 16, 2004)

I gave birth to my healthy 9 lb 10 oz baby boy almost 6 months ago and am still suffering from loose joints that turn into painful but brief injuries. Anyone else experience this? Tonight it's my knee... it wants to buckle underneath me and I know it's going to be a major problem tomorrow unless I get some ice on it quick. But the "injury" disappears within a day or 2. A mama friend of mine said that my joints are still loose from pregnancy and I need to do a bit of exercise and that would alleviate the problem. Sounds reasonable. I was curious if anyone else has suffered from this and if they took any kind of supplement that helped her body get back to "normal".
And how long did this loose joint syndrome last? If it makes any difference, I'm not overweight, so extra strain on the joints is not an issue - an otherwise healthy, almost vegetarian 5'7", 130 lb 36 yr old.
Thanks in advance!


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## QueenOfThePride (May 26, 2005)

My joints never fully returned to normal. IIRC, my joint stability slowly improved to about 12 months post partum, but never as strong as before.


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## MadWorldSonnet (Jun 15, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *QueenOfThePride* 
My joints never fully returned to normal. IIRC, my joint stability slowly improved to about 12 months post partum, but never as strong as before.

Yeah, that.

And I'm what....8 YEARS postpartum? D'oh!


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## Mother Mel (Mar 16, 2004)

Did you do any exercises to increase joint stability or take any supplements?


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## QueenOfThePride (May 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mother Mel* 
Did you do any exercises to increase joint stability or take any supplements?

No. I tried exercising for a while, but my joints would get so sore, I just stopped. I don't know of any supplements to harden ligaments.


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

I suggest seeing a chiropractor.


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

Physical therapy, maybe? Exercise to strengthen the muscles around the joint and stabilize the joint that way would probably be helpful, but you'd want to be very sure of what muscle groups need work and how to target them without causing injury.

I suspect that to some extent, you can't ever go back to your pre-pregnant body. My hips have never been quite the same since my first pregnancy and each subsequent pregnancy/birth loosens them just a little more. I used to be able to lie on the floor on my back and ever since my first pregnancy, it feels like doing that rearranges my pelvis and it's uncomfortable.


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## olive&pimiento (May 15, 2006)

I second the chiropractor. I separated my pelvis during the delivery of my dd and for months afterward, when it would get out of alignment, my knees would give me problems. The chiropractor worked wonders for me.


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

I had pubic symphysis dysfunction during this last pregnancy (#3) and found chiropractic and flax seed oil to help a lot. It took a few months before I felt more normal, but even at 14mo pp, I still occasionally end up with my hip falling out from sudden movement.


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## Mother Mel (Mar 16, 2004)

Flax seed oil? What does that do?
I've been seeing a chiro quite regularly already, every 3 weeks or so.


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## naturalthinker (Jun 6, 2007)

i had hyper-mobility from lax ligaments prior to child birth and exercise has been the only thing recommended to me via the medical profession. Physical Therapy has helped me alleviate pain from misaligned bones due to this problem, and it has taught me how to move 'more safely' to prevent injury.

The idea behind exercise to treat this issue, as described to me, is that when the muscles are strengthened, they can shortened to the point that they take up the extra slack the ligaments are causing. This type of exercise would have to be target-specific weight training, not cardio/stretch/fun exercises such as yoga or even pilates, since both incorporate a lot of stretch into their practice.

Products with glucosamine like triple flex are supposed to help with the joints by maintaining cartilage health - and with more movement in joints, cartilage can be worn 'faster' than 'normal' so taking care of your joints either through nutrition or supplementation is a good idea. here is a random link to an overview on TripleFlex, with a review linked at the bottom of the page (take what you will from this website, it just came up when i did a search for TripleFlex).

A homeopathic treatment that does wonders for my aches and pains from this and numerous other issues is Traumeel (again, just a random website).

Lastly, Adelle Davis, famed nutritionist of past probably has a more thoroughly-researched nutritional solution for this condition. I'm working through her books right now and don't yet have the answer, but her books would be a great resource for treating this and other ailments. Most of her books available are old and out of print, but they can be found on Amazon or in thrift stores..

Anyway, good luck managing this very annoying issue!


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## Mother Mel (Mar 16, 2004)

Wow, thanks, that's some great info. I've made an appt with a physio friend for Tuesday, added flax oil to my morning juice and have begun a light weight routine.
Thanks to all for your input, I sincerely appreciate it!! Maybe I'll call my chiro again while I'm at it...


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## bluets (Mar 15, 2005)

i have a hypermobile pelvis which was likely hypermobile even before i was pregnant. it got better for a time with physical therapy after ds's birth, but then i lost a ton of weight (by accident) and then it got worse again. i periodically see our ND - who also does bodywork (osteopathic and CST) - for treatment. he recommended wearing a trochanter belt. it's stupid that i had to fork out cash to see my MD to get a prescription for a trochanter belt, then had to fork out mega$$ to get the belt. it helps when walking but is useless when sitting (which is what i do most of the day at work).


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## moonyoungi (Jul 3, 2007)

I'm not an expert on any of these issues whatsoever, but I do know that in Asian culture, they MAKE women do bed rest for period of time postpartum. It could last from 2 weeks to 3 months. And they literally tell you to lie down and tell you to don't lift anything, don't do any housework, don't expose yourself in cold wind, cold water etc etc. They sometimes even tell you to don't take any bath or shower postpartum. So you have to lie down in your bed with you baby and just do that, nothing else. I guess it somewhat makes sense, because your ligaments are coming back together and you wouldn't want to put strain on it anymore that you have to like, lifting anything that's heavier than your baby.
My dance teacher told us one time that when she was doing the bed rest for the first baby postpartum, she was lying down on the bed with warm blanket over her entire body in hot summer. And even though she knew she wasn't supposed to, she took out her feet to touch the cold wall to get some relief from the heat. After that she always felt sore/numb around her ankle. So for the second baby postpartum, she laid in for however long and endure the whole thing without any "deviation." And she says her ankles were back to normal after that...
So...I don't know...I'm having my second baby soon, and I'd like to rest for at least two weeks with help from mother's helper, friend, or whoever that can help me.
Hopefully, my joints will feel better than it did after the first birth.


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## Mother Mel (Mar 16, 2004)

In discussing this issue with a few health-care professionals, they seem to think that this is a "rare" condition, but in chatting with other moms, it seems very common! I have to only wonder how many women suffer from this in silence or are misdiagnosed by their health care providers. Personally, I was told and tested for gout, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and fibromyalgia (sorry for any misspellings!) Maybe Mothering could print an article??


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