Tips From ‘The Prose’: The Use Of SI Belts For Pregnancy

Attention all you pregnant ladies our there!  Are any of you experiencing pain in your SI joint?  What’s the SI joint you ask?  Well if you look at your back in the mirror, at the very bottom there are two “dimples” on either side of your spine.  Those dimples are where the sacroiliac joints are located on the right and left side of your spine.  This joint is where your spine and your pelvic bones come together.  Usually those guys move just millimeters as you bend or extend your spine, but when you are pregnant, your body produces a hormone that causes your joints to be looser than they usually are which allows your pelvis to adjust to the growing baby and delivery.

The problem for some ladies is that the looseness of these joints in combination with the changing posture and stresses to your pelvis as the baby grows can increase the stress to the SI joints and cause pain. There are certain exercises and other manual techniques I use for my pregnant patients in the clinic, but sometimes I suggest the use of a brace to help hold the pelvis and give it better stability.  We call this brace an SI belt.  (as pictured above)

I recommend to women when they put this brace on, to lay down with the back of the belt aligned with their sacrum. This is so the brace squeezes around their hips, not their waist, to put pressure on the joints so they cannot so easily slide out of place.

This brace can make a pregnant woman so much more comfortable if her SI joint is not cooperating.  If you are one of these ladies who suffer from this kind of pain or if you are wondering if the pain you are having is SI joint pain, please do not hesitate to contact a PT at the nearest OSI and ask us.   There is no reason for you to suffer and we would love to help you.

– Amy