If your round ligaments are painful, you may notice it during such movements as: rolling over in bed, coughing, sneezing, laughing hard, going from sitting to standing, or after a long walk. Both a dull ache and a sharper pain ( that makes us grab under our growing bump to put pressure against the ligaments!) are very common during pregnancy.
While some growing pain in the round ligaments is normal, persistent or significant pain in the ligaments point us to a potentially deeper issue. When the pelvis and sacrum are not aligned properly, the uterus may sit in the same misaligned direction of the pelvis as it grows larger and expands upward. One ligament may pull much harder than the other side to try to keep the uterus vertical.
Soft tissue on the round ligaments is enormously beneficial. This can be done with a rebozo (see the Spinning Babies website for more info), or simply with hands. In order to maximize the benefits, make sure you are getting regular Webster's adjustments in your sacrum by an ICPA trained chiropractor. You can work on these ligaments daily to every other day to minimize tension and help your uterus relax well into your pelvis. Here is the video we have created to help you work on them!
As always, we love to connect and answer any and all questions you have about pregnancy and your round ligaments :)