Have you heard of lightning crotch? This is a condition that is common in pregnant women and also sometimes lingers postpartum. 

The term “lightning crotch” is coined because many women get shooting pain in their pubic area during certain movements. These movements typically include getting in and out of bed, in and out of a car, and going up and down stairs. Learn more about lightning crotch and how movement recommendations and physical therapy can help treat the ailment.

What is Lightning Crotch?

Lightning crotch is pain at the pubic symphysis which is where your pelvic bones come together and meet in the front of your body. During pregnancy, this joint gets stretched and this can cause it to become very painful. On top of being stretched by a growing baby, the joint is also lax as it will have to spread in order for the baby to come out. Once the baby is delivered, the stress on the joint decreases however the irritation can sometimes linger postpartum.

Symptoms to look for:

• Sharp pain in the vagina or pelvic area

• Stinging or pins and needles feeling in the vagina or pelvic area

• Brief, intense pelvic pain

Relief and Treating of Lightning Crotch

Movement recommendations

For those key movements that are likely to cause pain, it is recommended to keep your legs together! In addition, lightning crotch may occur after expecting moms have been lying still for long periods of time. You can find relief from pelvic pain by standing up, moving around and changing your position. A few tips:

• When getting out of bed or out of a car, try to keep your knees as close together as possible during this transition. 

• For stairs, try going one step at a time (placing both feet on the same step before advancing to the next step). It will take longer but hopefully it will reduce your pain! 

Physical therapy

The movement recommendations for lightning crotch can be very helpful, however will likely not fully solve the problem. In physical therapy, we can focus externally on core activation, hip strength, and other factors that play into the pubic dysfunction.

We can also take a look at the pelvic floor muscles and make sure that they are both mobile and strong. Tight, weak muscles can increase dysfunction of the pubic joint. 

Pelvic Floor PT Helps Address Lightning Crotch!

Pelvic floor physical therapy is recommended over general physical therapy for lightning crotch. This is because we will not only address the external factors (back, hips, etc) but also pay special attention to the pelvic floor muscles during evaluation and treatment.

If you are struggling with lightning crotch and want to solve this problem, speak with one of our pelvic floor physical therapist today!