Why does the pubic bone hurt: causes, diagnosis and treatment methods

2024 Author: Curtis Blomfield | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 20:44

The pubic bone can become inflamed or injured. If you are looking for an answer to the question of why the pubic bone hurts, then you should definitely consult a gynecologist or traumatologist. This pathology needs careful diagnosis. The intensity of the pain, as well as the time of occurrence of an unpleasant symptom, will not matter. In any case, seek help from a doctor who will tell you exactly why the pubic bone hurts. About the possible reasons - in the article.

How does it work?

The pubic bone is considered to be the part of the skeleton that forms the pelvic bone. In women and men, the pubis consists of a body and 2 branches, thus forming a closed opening with a membrane located there.

Women with a normal build have a ridge-like bone, the thickness of which is equal to the thumb on the hand. She is curved andcalled the pubic eminence. Like an arch, it hangs in women over the genitals, while growing together with the pelvic bones.

The distance between these pubic bones should normally be no more than 5 mm. During pregnancy, this indicator changes upwards by 3 mm.

Why does my pubic bone hurt?

There are many different reasons why pathology can appear. They may also differ by gender. Consider why the pubic bone hurts in men and women.

Men

Representatives of the stronger sex experience soreness, which is associated with injury to this bone. This should include open or closed fractures, simple bruises. The reasons why the pubic bone hurts are as follows:

1. Accident resulting in a bone injury.
2. Falling to the ground from a great height.
3. Injuries of a sporting nature, such as motor racing, skiing, cycling.
4. A simple fall that is considered quite common among older people.
5. Fractures causing a direct blow to the pubic area or compression of the pelvis.

Women

Why does the pubic bone hurt in women? The fair sex, in addition to trauma in the pelvic area, may also have various problems of a gynecological nature. Common reasons why the pubic bone hurts in women include:

1. In the second half of pregnancy there issoftening of the articulation between the bones, a phenomenon called symphysiolysis syndrome.
2. Disjunction of bone tissues or symphysitis up to separation at the birth of a child.
3. Congenital pathologies that are associated with the structure of the pelvic bones.

Why does the pubic bone hurt during pregnancy?

Expectant mothers often experience soreness, which is localized in the pubic joint. Mostly it occurs in the last trimester of the period of bearing a baby. But why does the pubic bone hurt during pregnancy? This happens due to softening of the tissue of the pubic joint. Soreness differs in characteristics:

1. It is pronounced, especially when moving, such as turning the torso, climbing stairs, or getting out of bed.
2. Feelings intensify in the afternoon.
3. Puffiness forms in the symphysis area.
4. If you press the pubic area with your hand, you can hear a dull click.
5. A pregnant woman is not able to raise her legs straight when lying down.
6. Discomfort while urinating.
7. The appearance of a duck gait, which is characterized by small steps.

Considering why a pregnant woman has a sore pubic bone, one should pay attention to the fact that not all women are exposed to this pathology. However, there are some criteria by which the disease selects its victim. The following processes play an important role in the development of the disease:

1. After 5 monthsPregnancy in the female body produces the hormone relaxin in large quantities. It is necessary for all women to prepare the body for childbirth. Thanks to this hormone, the womb begins to lose rigidity, while becoming pliable so that the pelvic bones can increase during childbirth. However, this significantly reduces the resistance to other loads. This is why the pubic bone hurts during pregnancy.
2. Reducing the amount of calcium in the female body, which goes to the formation of the musculoskeletal system for the baby. This process provokes the symptoms of degenerative bone changes, which is commonly called osteoporosis. If you have a question why the pubic bone hurts after childbirth, then the reason may lie in an insufficient amount of calcium in the body, which should be replenished in the near postpartum time.
3. Intrauterine disorders during the formation of the pubic joint, as well as in childhood.

Diseases that cause pain in the pubic area

We continue to consider why the pubic bone hurts, the treatment of this disease. Women experience soreness in the pubic area due to existing diseases, which should be attributed to:

1. Urethritis, cystitis.
2. Stones in the bladder.
3. Thrombophlebitis localized in the pelvic region.
4. Inguinal hernia pinched.
5. Osteomyelitis.
6. Sciatica.
7. Formation of a malignant tumor.
8. Hernia or osteochondrosis of the lower spine.
9. Various post-traumatic consequences.

You should also pay attention to the fact that some of the fair sex are owners of a saber-shaped flat pubis. The problem is that the plank, which is about 3 fingers wide, covers almost half of the vagina, which negatively affects sexual life. Soreness occurs when the penis presses on the periosteum, presses the urethra against the edge of the pubis. In this case, you need to contact a traumatologist or gynecologist for help.

When menstruation

And why does the pubic bone hurt during menstruation? The fair sex during menstruation very often has a pulling discomfort, localized in the pubic area. The spasm from the groin area begins to radiate to the back, and this can be explained by the expansion of the uterine canal. That is why there is parallel pain in the pubic area.

Treatment methods

So, we figured out why the pubic bone hurts. Treatment methods will depend on the cause of such a symptom. It is possible to assess how much both pubic bones have expanded, using the results of an ultrasound scan. Only after the specialist finds out why the pubic bone hurts, the diagnosis will not be long in coming and it will be possible to decide on the methods of therapy. The method of treatment usually depends on the degree of divergence of the bones. Consider them separately:

1. First degree. If abones have dispersed up to 10 mm, then regular use of calcium, reduced physical activity, sleeping on mattresses with an orthopedic base, food, in the diet of which there are salads, legumes, and dairy products are prescribed for therapy. Also, do not provoke pain. We must try to avoid the position of the body during which these unpleasant sensations appear.
2. Second degree. In this case, the discrepancy is more than 10 mm. It is necessary to use a special corset or bandage during therapy. Thanks to this, it will be possible to strengthen the muscles of the pelvis, as well as reduce soreness. It should be noted that in such a situation, natural childbirth will be a contraindication for a pregnant woman.

If the pain syndrome is very strong, then specialists prescribe anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs.

Exercise

At any stage of the divergence of the pubic bones, the specialist recommends performing some gymnastic exercises. They are necessary in order to strengthen the muscles of the pelvis, while they are very simple. Consider what movements to do if you have a divergence of the pubic bones, which causes severe pain in this area:

1. First of all, you need to lie on your back, bend your knees, pull your heels up to your buttocks. After that, spread your knees in different directions, slowly, fix in this position for 20 seconds and return to the starting position.
2. Lie on your back on a hard surface, raise your pelvisapproximately 5 cm from the floor. It is necessary to stay in this position for 10-20 seconds. The heels during this exercise should be located 30 cm from the body.
3. Next, you need to perform an exercise called "Cat". To do this, the woman gets on all fours, her back is straight. Then the back slowly arches, the head rises. When performing this exercise, the muscles of the thighs of the abdomen work.

It is important to note that when performing such gymnastics, it is imperative to follow your feelings. If pain occurs, then all exercises must be stopped immediately.

How to get rid of pain?

If the bones diverge naturally during pregnancy, then therapy is not carried out. As a rule, after childbirth, the ligaments return to their original position. A specialist for this period may recommend that a woman take medicines, for example, No-shpu or Menovazin. When a woman is in the hospital under the supervision of doctors in the last two weeks of pregnancy, pain sensations can be combated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For this, patients are prescribed the drug "Paracetamol" or "Ibuprofen". When soreness appeared at 32 weeks of gestation, as well as after the birth of the baby, the woman is prescribed the use of antibiotics, as well as ultraviolet irradiation, to avoid the formation of an inflammatory process.

Gelsand ointments are of great importance in therapy, since after application to the skin they do not enter the systemic circulation. If the pain syndrome is the most severe, then after childbirth, the specialist may prescribe opioid painkillers to the patient, which should include Fentanyl. An epidural can also be used for this purpose.

Other treatments

As for traditional medicine recipes, they will be powerless for the treatment of pain that occurs due to the divergence of the pubic bones. The effectiveness of home methods is very low. The main emphasis is on the use of calcium in large quantities. A very popular recipe is the combination of sesame seeds with goat cheese and honey.

To reduce pain, you can use "Corvalol", which is applied to the pubic area. Manual therapy is a very common method of treatment. This method gently affects the femoral and pelvic muscles. In some cases, a specialist may also recommend the following therapies:

1. Acupuncture helps to get rid of pain not only for the fairer sex, but also for men. This effective method is virtually painless.
2. Visit a chiropractor or osteopath.
3. Drainage if purulent symphysitis has been diagnosed.
4. Injections of glucocorticoids, if the cause lies in osteoperiostitis.

It is important to note that any alternative treatments should not be a substitute for the maintherapy.

Prevention

There are no special methods designed to avoid the development of symphysitis. However, women who have a history of this pathology or some kind of abnormal pelvic structure are advised to adhere to the following rules:

1. Before getting pregnant, you need to get rid of excess body weight, if any.
2. Eat well, be sure to include nuts, meat, fish, cheese, milk, cottage cheese, greens in the diet.
3. For prevention, take B vitamins and calcium at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy.
4. If there is pain in the pubic area, you should immediately inform your specialist about this symptom without taking any pain medication yourself.
5. In addition, women who are expecting a baby are advised to spend more time in the fresh air, as well as take sunbaths. Thanks to this, vitamin D is produced in the body. This advice is especially relevant for those women who live in the northern regions.
6. Reduce excessive exercise, less walking and climbing stairs.
7. Regular visits to the gynecologist.
8. Perform exercises aimed at strengthening the muscles of the pelvis, go swimming.

Possible consequences

If the patient does not receive the necessary treatment or delays in seeking help from a specialist, then the divergence of the pubic bones mayprovoke severe pain that will appear even in the case of the slightest movement. Sometimes this causes complete loss of mobility.

The most severe complication is rupture of the symphysis. In most cases, this is observed in the last week of pregnancy, when the baby's head enters directly into the small pelvis and presses on the weak and inflamed ligaments. In the event of such a gap, the woman begins to experience a strong pain shock.

If the divergence of the pubic bones is more than 2 cm, then the therapy should be carried out only by the surgical method. In the future, a long recovery will be required, as well as the help of rehabilitation specialists. As a rule, pregnancy is not recommended for women after this, otherwise a relapse may develop.