Ligament pain: what to do?
As your abdomen grows, the ligaments and muscles around the uterus become stretched and can pull and pinch over time. We will tell you how this so-called ligament pain can be alleviated with a few simple tips.
Causes of ligament pain
Due to the growth, but also due to the increasing movements of the child, you sometimes feel pain in the side or on the lower abdomen, so-called ligament pain. Between the 20th and 23rd week of pregnancy, you may notice your child performing small kicks in the stomach. It can be painful at night when you are more aware of the movements. Even with some movements, such as quickly standing up or stretching, you will notice the pulling of the mother’s ligaments in the lower back and groin area, which feels like aching muscles or a muscle strain.
This is because your uterus has to increase in volume by about a hundred times during pregnancy to provide enough space for your baby. Towards the end of pregnancy, it will weigh around 1,000 to 1,500 grams, around 20 to 30 times as heavy as before. The upper edge is halfway through pregnancy ( 20th week of pregnancy ) at about the level of your navel and continues to grow about one centimeter per week. With the rapid growth, connective tissue, muscles and ligaments must continue to support the uterus and are stretched considerably.
Identify ligament pain
Ligament pain is pain in the groin and sacrum area. You may also feel a pulling sensation in the lower abdomen, similar to menstrual pain or sore muscles.
Relief from ligament pain
You can get relief from ligament pain with these tips:
- It often helps if you rest for a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable on the sofa or in bed until the pain is gone.
- A heating pad, hot water bottle, or warm washcloth can provide relief from ligament pain. You can also relax with a nice warm bath. Then simply let your partner pamper you with a gentle massage.
- To counteract the ligament pain, you can massage your stomach with an essential massage oil (e.g. made from chamomile, lavender, tangerine or rosewood). An oil compress in the groin area, where the pain is particularly severe, can also help.
- A support band or belly wrap that you can wear during the day without compressing the baby bump can help relieve ligaments and tissues. In the evening, when you go to sleep, you should take off the towel again to improve circulation.
But beware: the pain could also be premature labor . You can recognize this by the fact that your stomach becomes harder and harder with the pain and then soft again. The pain builds up like a wave, reaches its highest level and then levels off again. Contractions should come at regular intervals.
If the pain persists, worsens, reaches into the back, uterine contractions, or even fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, you should see a doctor. If you are unsure, it is better to go to the doctor once too often than not enough.