Sacroiliac Joint Pain and its Peak Time during the Three Trimesters of Pregnancy A Cross Sectional Study

Author(s):

Rida Akmal*, Anam Abbas, Tayyaba Niaz and Naveed Anwar

Introduction: Changes in body load and mechanics occur, shifting body’s center of gravity anteriorly leads to SI joint pain in pregnancy. The objective of the study is to determine the frequency of Sacroiliac joint pain during the three trimesters of pregnancy and the association of severity of sacroiliac pain with first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Methodology: This was a cross sectional analytical study conducted at Nur International University, Lahore. The data was collected from gynecological department of different hospitals and clinics in Lahore. An informed consent was obtained from the patients for inclusion in my study. For diagnosis Laslett’s criteria which includes series of 5 tests, was performed on the patients meeting inclusion criteria and pain was measured using Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) was filled by the patients. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 28.0) was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics include frequencies and percentages were extracted. Spearmen’s rho and Pearson’s correlation was used to test for association of severity of pain with three trimesters of pregnancy and quality of life respectively. Results: 45 subjects were included in the study, 64.44% suffered from SI joint pain. There is a weak correlation between severity of pain and trimester of pregnancy and there is a strong correlation between Numeric pain Rating Scale and Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire. Conclusion: Majority of the pregnant females have SI pain in the second trimester of pregnancy. The intensity of pain increases with the trimester of pregnancy and pelvic girdle questionnaire increased score which decreases the quality of life of pregnant females. In the light of these results pregnant females should seek physiotherapy along with their medical treatment to reduce SI pain.