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Pelvic girdle pain 3–6 months after delivery in an unselected cohort of Norwegian women

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Abstract

Purpose

Persistent pelvic girdle pain (PGP) after delivery is considered uncommon. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of persistent PGP after delivery in an unselected population, its influence on the women’s daily life, and potential risk factors.

Methods

The study population was drawn from a previous retrospective study of pelvic pain (PP) during pregnancy. The women were followed until 3–6 months after delivery in a prospective cohort study. All women were contacted by telephone and those with persistent PP were invited to fill in questionnaires and undergo a clinical examination.

Results

68 of 330 women reported persistent pain in the pelvic area 3–6 months after delivery. 47 underwent a clinical examination, after which 36 women were diagnosed with either PGP alone (n = 25), or PGP combined with low back pain (LBP) (n = 11). Affected women reported a poor subjective health status, but the pain did not have a major impact on their daily life activities. Women with 3 independent risk factors: age ≥30 years, a moderate or high Oswestry Disability Index in pregnancy, and combined PP and LBP during pregnancy, had a 27-fold increased risk for persistent PGP compared with women without these risk factors.

Conclusion

16 % of women that reported PP during pregnancy were found to have persistent PGP 3–6 months after the delivery. Women with risk factors for persistent PGP should be identified while pregnant, and offered a follow-up examination 3 months after delivery.

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Conflict of interest

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. The Norwegian Centre for Movement Disorders, Stavanger University Hospital, P.O. Box 8100, N-4068, Stavanger, Norway

      Anne Marie Gausel, Inger Kjærmann, Stefan Malmqvist, Ingvild Dalen & Jan Petter Larsen

    2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway

      Inger Økland

    3. Sundbybergskliniken, Sundbyberg, Sweden

      Stefan Malmqvist

    Authors
    1. Anne Marie Gausel
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    2. Inger Kjærmann
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    3. Stefan Malmqvist
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    4. Ingvild Dalen
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    5. Jan Petter Larsen
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    Correspondence to Anne Marie Gausel.

    Additional information

    A. M. Gausel and I. Kjærmann have contributed equally to this work.

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    Gausel, A.M., Kjærmann, I., Malmqvist, S. et al. Pelvic girdle pain 3–6 months after delivery in an unselected cohort of Norwegian women. Eur Spine J 25, 1953–1959 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3959-1

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-015-3959-1

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