Saturday, July 25, 2009

The "Cure" for Round Ligament Pain

Have you ever been walking around or lying down, minding your business, when all of a sudden you feel a spasm or pain on the lower part of your belly? Usually it is close to the bikini line and to the right?

If so, you are probably experiencing round ligament pains. Abdominal pains during pregnancy can be very disconcerting, but round ligament pains are quite common.

According to WebMD, "Your uterus is normally the size of a pear. Thick ligaments, one of which is called the round ligament, hold your uterus in suspension within your abdomen. As the uterus grows in size and weight, these ligaments become very long and thin, stressing and tensing like rubber bands." The pain that you feel are these ligaments pulling on nearby nerve fibers.

There is no need to suffer in silence from these pains. An exercise called hip hikes actually helps to alleviate the discomfort.

To do hip hikes:
1) Stand next to a wall with a stability ball between your right hip bone and the wall. Make sure that your shoulders and hips are perpendicular to the wall.

2) Lift your right leg a few inches above the floor.

3) Move your right hip up and down. Make sure that this action in coming from your hip and not your right leg.

4) Do 10 to 15 reps on the right side and then switch to the left side. Do 2-3 sets on each side.

Try this exercise and let me know how it helps!

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