Introduction

In 1839, the Swedish obstetrician Cederschjld wrote:

So long as the pelvic joints are very loose the woman cannot move
herself in bed without pains and cannot get out of bed at all by herself.
Even if she is helped up on her feet, she cannot walk, but feels as if her
body wants, as it were, to drop down between her legs. If this affection
is neglected, it may become a protracted one, with the risk of to some
extent persisting forever, or else inammation may arise, which through
suppuration and hectic fever may lead to death (quoted in Genell 1949
p 9)
More than one hundred years later, Genell (1949) described a case where
the orthopedists advised a pregnant woman with pelvic girdle pain
(PGP) to have an abortion. They believed the condition would cause her
to become an invalid. Others have also stated that pain developed during
pregnancy frequently continued after childbirth and might be exacerbated
by an additional further pregnancy, and could thus constitute a direct
cause of disability (Farbot 1952).
Today, low back pain (LBP) and pelvic girdle pain (PGP) account
for the majority of sick leave among pregnant women in Scandinavian
countries (Grunfeld & Qvigstad 1991, Sydsjo et al 1998). In several studies,
pregnancy-related LBP and PGP are reported to have a negative effect on
many daily activities such as walking, lifting, climbing stairs, lying at on
the back, turning in bed, housework, exercise, employment, leisure, sexual
life, hobbies, and personal relationships (Hansen et al 1999, MacLennan
SECTION THREE
CHAPT ER
36
Important aspects for efcacy of
treatment with specic stabilizing
exercises for postpartum pelvic girdle pain
B Stuge, NK Vllestad
Ch36-F10178.indd 547 12/21/06 5:49:52 PM