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What Is Pelvic Pain & SPD?
Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) occurs when the joint at the front of your pelvis — the pubic symphysis — becomes overly mobile or inflamed during pregnancy. The hormone relaxin, which loosens your ligaments to prepare for birth, can sometimes create too much laxity in this joint, leading to pain, instability, and difficulty with everyday movement.
SPD affects an estimated 1 in 5 pregnant women to some degree, though severity varies widely. For some moms, it's mild discomfort. For others, it's debilitating pain that makes walking, climbing stairs, and rolling over in bed agonizing.
Signs and Symptoms
SPD typically presents as pain at the front of the pelvis, centered over the pubic bone. You may also feel it in your hips, groin, inner thighs, or lower back. Common symptoms include a clicking or grinding sensation in the pelvis, pain that worsens when standing on one leg (putting on pants, climbing stairs), difficulty walking, and sharp pain when rolling over in bed. The pain is often worst at the end of the day or after periods of activity.
How Chiropractic Helps
SPD is directly related to pelvic alignment and ligament balance. When the sacrum is misaligned, it creates uneven force across the pelvis — and the pubic symphysis bears the brunt of that imbalance.
Through the Webster Technique and gentle pelvic adjustments, we restore balance to the sacrum and pelvis, reduce the uneven tension that's pulling the symphysis apart, and support the ligaments that stabilize the joint. This reduces pain at the source rather than simply putting a bandaid over your pain.
Our Approach to Relief
We take an individualized approach with every SPD case. Adjustments are gentle, specific to your level of sensitivity, and always adapted to your comfort. We never force an adjustment — especially with pelvic instability, where the goal is creating stability, not adding more movement.
Most moms with SPD benefit from consistent care throughout the remainder of their pregnancy, with many noticing significant improvement within the first few visits. The same pelvic balance work that eases SPD often relieves round ligament pain as well.
FAQs
Find answers to your most pressing questions about our chiropractic services for children and families.
Pregnancy pelvic pain is usually caused by a combination of hormonal changes (relaxin loosening ligaments), pelvic misalignment, and the increasing weight and pressure of your growing baby. SPD specifically involves excessive movement or inflammation at the pubic symphysis joint.
Yes. SPD is directly related to pelvic balance, which is exactly what chiropractic care — and the Webster Technique specifically — addresses. By restoring sacral and pelvic alignment, we reduce the uneven forces causing pain at the pubic symphysis.
It's a condition where the pubic symphysis joint at the front of the pelvis becomes overly mobile or inflamed, usually during pregnancy. It causes pain at the front of the pelvis and can make walking, standing on one leg, and rolling in bed very painful.
As soon as you notice it. Pelvic pain tends to worsen as pregnancy progresses if the underlying alignment issue isn't addressed. Early care gives us more time to restore balance and reduce your discomfort before it becomes severe.
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