Pregnancy Hip and Pelvic Pain: Why It Happens and What May Help
MomWell Chiro Co. is an award-winning prenatal, postpartum, pediatric, and family chiropractic practice located in North Fort Worth, Texas, 76244. Our Webster-certified chiropractors provide personalized care for pregnant women, babies, children, and families throughout North Fort Worth and the surrounding DFW area.
Pregnancy hip pain has a way of showing up during the most ordinary parts of your day.
You may feel fine while sitting, but then notice a sharp pain when you stand. Rolling over in bed suddenly takes effort. Walking through the grocery store leaves your hips aching, and getting out of the car feels like a carefully planned event.
Sometimes the discomfort is mostly on one side. Sometimes it feels deep in the hips, across the lower back, near the pubic bone, or through the back of the pelvis.
And although hip and pelvic discomfort can be common during pregnancy, that does not mean you should feel like you have to simply live with it.
Understanding what may be contributing to your pain is the first step toward finding the right support.
Why Do Your Hips Hurt During Pregnancy?
Your body is making significant physical changes to support your growing baby.
As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts forward. Your posture and walking pattern may change, and muscles around your hips, pelvis, abdomen, and lower back have to work differently than they did before pregnancy.
At the same time, your daily activities have not necessarily slowed down.
You may still be working, exercising, carrying another child, getting up and down from the floor, sleeping in new positions, or spending long periods sitting or standing.
Over time, these changes may contribute to tight, tired, or overworked muscles around your:
Lower back
Glutes
Hip flexors
Inner thighs
Pelvic floor
Abdominal wall
Pelvis and sacrum
Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain and lower back pain are recognized as distinct but sometimes overlapping types of musculoskeletal discomfort. Because women may experience them differently, identifying the movements and positions that trigger your symptoms can help guide your care.
What Does Pelvic Girdle Pain Feel Like?
Pelvic girdle pain is a broad term used to describe pain around the joints and tissues of the pelvis during or after pregnancy.
You may feel discomfort:
At the front of the pelvis or pubic bone
Through one or both hips
Around the sacrum or back of the pelvis
Near the tailbone
Through the groin or inner thighs
Around the lower back and upper glutes
It may feel like an ache, pressure, tightness, pulling, or a sharper pain with certain movements.
Some women notice it most while:
Rolling over in bed
Getting dressed while standing on one leg
Walking up or down stairs
Getting into or out of the car
Standing after sitting
Walking for longer periods
Taking wide steps
Separating the legs
Carrying a toddler on one hip
The exact location of your pain does not always tell the whole story. Your chiropractor or other healthcare provider may also look at your posture, movement, muscle tension, and which activities make the pain better or worse.
Is Pregnancy Hip Pain Caused by Relaxin?
Relaxin is often blamed for almost every pregnancy ache, but the answer is more complicated.
Hormonal changes help prepare your body for pregnancy and birth, but pregnancy-related pelvic pain is not usually explained by one hormone or one loose joint alone. Research has not established a simple, direct relationship between relaxin levels and the severity of pelvic girdle pain.
Your symptoms may be influenced by several factors, including:
Changes in posture
Differences in muscle coordination
Previous back or pelvic pain
Old injuries
Increased physical workload
Changes in walking or exercise
Muscle fatigue
The position of your body during sleep
How frequently you lift or carry another child
That is why a personalized assessment is often more helpful than assuming every pregnant woman needs the same stretch or treatment.
Why Does It Hurt to Roll Over in Bed?
Rolling over requires your trunk, hips, pelvis, and legs to coordinate while your body is under increasing physical load.
When the muscles around your hips or pelvis are irritated, separating your legs or twisting your body may make that discomfort more noticeable.
Try keeping your knees closer together as you roll rather than allowing one leg to move far ahead of the other.
You can also try:
Bending both knees slightly.
Gently engaging your lower abdomen.
Keeping your knees and ankles together.
Rolling your shoulders and hips at the same time.
Using your arms to help push yourself into a comfortable position.
A pillow between your knees may also make side sleeping feel more supported.
These adjustments will not fix every cause of pelvic pain, but they may make nighttime movement less irritating.
Why Does It Hurt to Stand on One Leg?
Standing on one leg places more demand on the muscles and joints supporting your pelvis.
You do this more often than you may realize, especially while:
Putting on pants
Stepping into the shower
Climbing stairs
Getting into a car
Carrying a child on one side
Shifting your weight while standing
When possible, sit down to put on pants, socks, and shoes.
You can also try keeping your steps slightly shorter and avoiding exaggerated lunges or wide movements on days when your pelvis feels especially sensitive.
The goal is not to stop moving. It is to modify the movements that repeatedly aggravate your symptoms while continuing to build comfortable strength and mobility.
Should You Stretch Pregnancy Hip Pain?
Sometimes stretching feels wonderful. Other times, repeatedly stretching an already sensitive area may make it feel worse.
That is why the answer depends on where your discomfort is coming from and how your body responds.
A gentle figure-four stretch may feel helpful for tight glutes or the outside of the hip. A hip flexor stretch may help someone who feels tight through the front of the hip.
However, a stretch that helps one person may irritate another person, especially if it involves a wide stance or uneven pressure through the pelvis.
A few general guidelines:
Move slowly and stay within a comfortable range.
Do not force yourself deeper into a stretch.
Avoid bouncing.
Stop if a movement causes sharp pain.
Pay attention to how you feel afterward, not only during the stretch.
Ask for personalized guidance when you are unsure.
Exercise during pregnancy may help reduce the severity of lower back, pelvic girdle, and combined lumbopelvic pain for some women, but the best approach should be appropriate for the individual and the pregnancy.
Need Help Knowing Which Pregnancy Stretches to Do?
It can be hard to know which stretches are actually helpful during pregnancy, especially when one movement feels amazing for someone else but uncomfortable for you.
That is why we created our free 7-Day Pregnancy Stretch Challenge.
Each day, you will receive a short, pregnancy-friendly stretching routine designed to help you gently work on common areas of tension, including the hips, lower back, hamstrings, calves, and the muscles surrounding the pelvis.
The challenge is completely free and can be completed at home on your own schedule.
Join the Free 7-Day Pregnancy Stretch Challenge
As always, listen to your body and speak with your pregnancy healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise routine, particularly if you have pain, complications, or activity restrictions.
What Can You Try at Home?
There is not one perfect solution for pregnancy hip and pelvic pain, but small changes throughout the day may reduce unnecessary irritation.
Keep Your Weight Evenly Distributed
Notice whether you tend to stand with most of your weight shifted onto one hip.
Try standing with your feet comfortably apart and your weight distributed more evenly between both legs.
Take Shorter Steps
Long strides can place additional demand on the pelvis, especially when walking quickly or going uphill.
Shortening your stride may make walking feel smoother and more comfortable.
Sit Down to Get Dressed
Avoid balancing on one leg when putting on pants, socks, or shoes.
Sitting may reduce the amount of uneven pressure through your pelvis.
Change Positions Regularly
Sitting or standing in one position for too long can leave muscles feeling tired and stiff.
Try changing positions throughout the day, even if it is only for a few minutes.
Use Support While Sleeping
Place a pillow between your knees and, when helpful, another pillow under your belly.
The goal is to keep your hips and pelvis supported rather than allowing your top leg to fall far forward.
Be Mindful While Carrying Toddlers
Many moms naturally carry a child on the same hip every time.
Alternate sides when you can, use a supportive carrier when appropriate, and avoid pushing one hip far out to the side while standing.
Continue Comfortable Movement
Complete rest is not always the answer for musculoskeletal discomfort.
Walking, mobility exercises, strength work, and pregnancy-appropriate movement may be helpful when they are comfortable and suited to your body. If an activity consistently causes pain, it may need to be modified rather than pushed through.
Can a Prenatal Chiropractor Help With Pregnancy Hip Pain?
A prenatal chiropractor can assess how your spine, pelvis, hips, and surrounding muscles are functioning together.
At MomWell Chiro Co., we begin by asking where you feel pain, when it started, and which movements make it better or worse.
We may also look at:
Your posture
Your walking pattern
Hip and pelvic movement
Mobility through your lower back
Muscle tension around your hips and glutes
Movements such as standing, squatting, or stepping
The way you move during your daily activities
Your care may include gentle chiropractic adjustments, Webster Technique care, soft tissue work, pregnancy-specific exercises, mobility recommendations, kinesiology tape, or other support based on your individual needs.
Research examining chiropractic care for pregnancy-related lower back and pelvic girdle pain has found that the available evidence is limited and that more high-quality research is needed. We therefore do not promise that chiropractic care will eliminate pain or create a particular pregnancy or birth outcome.
Our goal is to help support your movement, comfort, and function while giving you practical tools you can use outside the office.
What Makes MomWell’s Approach Different?
At MomWell, we do not believe pregnancy hip pain should automatically receive the same adjustment, stretch, or care plan for every patient.
We look at the full picture.
That may include how far along you are, what your days look like, whether you are caring for other children, how you exercise, how you sleep, and what kind of birth support team you already have.
Our prenatal appointments may combine:
Webster-certified chiropractic care
Soft tissue and muscle work
Functional movement assessment
Pregnancy-specific stretching
Strength and mobility recommendations
Cupping or kinesiology taping when appropriate
Birth preparation positions and exercises
Collaboration with your OB, midwife, doula, or pelvic floor therapist
Our goal is not only for you to feel cared for during your appointment. We also want you to leave understanding what may be contributing to your discomfort and what you can do between visits.
When Should You Contact Your Medical Provider?
Musculoskeletal discomfort can be common during pregnancy, but not every type of pain should be assumed to come from your muscles or joints.
Contact your OB, midwife, or medical provider promptly when pain is:
Sudden or severe
Associated with vaginal bleeding
Accompanied by fever or chills
Associated with regular contractions
Accompanied by leaking fluid
Connected with painful urination
Associated with significant swelling, redness, or warmth
Accompanied by numbness, weakness, or difficulty walking
Paired with any other symptom that feels unusual or concerning
When you are uncertain, it is always appropriate to contact your pregnancy healthcare provider.
Looking for Pregnancy Hip Pain Support in North Fort Worth?
MomWell Chiro Co. provides personalized, Webster-certified prenatal chiropractic care for women throughout North Fort Worth, Keller, Alliance, Haslet, Roanoke, and the surrounding DFW area.
Your initial visit gives us time to hear your story, assess how your body is moving, provide gentle care tailored to your needs, and give you personalized recommendations to use at home.
Ready for in-person support?
Still wondering whether MomWell is the right fit?
Schedule a Complimentary Discovery Call
Want More Support at Home?
If you are not local to North Fort Worth, are not quite ready to schedule an appointment, or simply want more guidance between visits, we also have resources designed to support you throughout pregnancy.
Start With the Free Stretching Challenge
Our free 7-Day Pregnancy Stretch Challenge gives you simple, pregnancy-friendly stretching routines you can follow from home.
Join the Free 7-Day Pregnancy Stretch Challenge
Explore the Pregnancy Workbooks
Our pregnancy workbooks walk you through movement, birth preparation, daily habits, partner support, and practical steps for each stage of pregnancy.
Choose the workbook that matches where you are now, or purchase the complete pregnancy workbook bundle for support from early pregnancy through the final weeks.
This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Contact your OB, midwife, or other healthcare provider about any new, severe, or concerning symptoms during pregnancy.