What do we really know about pelvic girdle pain during and after pregnancy?

Author(s): A Frankam - Pages: 8-14

Abstract

Our understanding of the aetiology and subsequent management of pelvic girdle pain (PGP) both during pregnancy and postpartum is changing. For decades, healthcare practitioners have followed a theoretical biomechanistic model of PGP with regard to its aetiology and subsequent management. However, this has not been congruent with our understanding of pain neurobiology from a biopsychosocial perspective. This paper presents a short history of the clinical reasoning behind the biomechanical model. This is followed by a counter-position of where pain science and the biopsychosocial perspective can, and should, sit within the person-centred physiotherapy care of women experiencing PGP during or after pregnancy.
Keywords: biopsychosocial model, pain neurobiology, pelvic girdle pain.