60% of women consider flying with pelvic pain or pelvic instability to be challenging or uncomfortable. You will bump up against a few risks when you are choosing to fly to your holiday destination. Think of having to sit for too long, limited mobility space, turbulence, stress/anxiety or the risks of bumping or spraining your pelvis. Flying with pelvic pain and pelvic instability is possible if you’re able to frequently move and change your posture. Standing up every 20 minutes and then walking for 10 minutes ensures a proper blood flow to your pelvic region and lower back. You also have to keep the seats of the plane in mind. Having a roomy seat next to the aisle will help you be able to frequently take breaks.
What are pelvic instability and pelvic pain?
Before we jump into the flying part, let me first briefly explain pelvic pain and pelvic instability. Pelvic instability is a known term for describing pain in the pelvis during or after pregnancy. However, pelvic instability has nothing to do with pelvic pain. Pelvic instability only describes the state of the pelvis. The pelvis, pelvic ligaments and pelvic floor muscles are weaker when you’re giving birth. The hormone Relaxin is released around the 12th week of pregnancy. This hormone causes your pelvic ligaments to become weaker and looser to prepare for a baby to be pushed through. This isn’t possible when your pelvic ligaments aren’t weaker. Each and every pregnant woman has to deal with pelvic instability, but not every woman experiences pain in combination with this. If you experience that the pelvic instability still causes pain, then you have pelvic pain. You can have pelvic instability and pelvic pain at the same time.
Read an in-depth article about pelvic instability and pelvic pain during pregnancy here.
7 symptoms of pelvic pain caused by pelvic instability:
If you so happen to experience pelvic pain because of pelvic instability, you can recognize it by going through the following symptoms:
- A nagging or stabbing pain in the vagina, pelvic floor, lower back, lower abdomen or tailbone.
- Feeling like a belt is tightly wrapped around your pelvis.
- A sensation of fatigue in the pelvic area.
- Loss of strength in the pelvic floor muscles.
- Incontinence issues, like urinary, fecal, or both. Often caused by pressure from laughing, standing up, or coughing.
- A sensation of fatigue or loss of strength in the upper legs.
- Having a hypermobile pelvis. Your pelvis is too mobile which can cause a stabbing pain.
Can you fly with pelvic pain and pelvic instability?
Flying with your pelvic conditions is possible as long as you keep the room for mobility and frequently changing postures in mind. Flying itself isn’t the risk. Continuously sitting in the same position will have the most impacting effects on your pelvis and pelvic instability. Also inquire until when you’re allowed to fly when you’re pregnant. For most flight companies it’s 35-36 weeks before your due date.
For how long can you fly with pelvic pain and pelvic instability?
Flying with pelvic instability isn’t tied to a maximum amount of hours. However, the longer you fly, the more uncomfortable you will get. Your torso and growing belly (or shrinking belly after the pregnancy) continuously presses on your pelvis. The pelvis is being pressed into the seat and is experiencing a constant tax. That’s why it’s recommended to stand up every 20 minutes, and walk for 10 minutes. Walk down the entire plane to get some proper movement in. Pain gets caused by a continuous tax. Sitting can become incredibly painful if you don’t change it up with standing or walking.
Can flying with pelvic pain and pelvic instability be painful?
Flying with pelvic conditions comes with a few risks. Flying can be painful if you’re experiencing pelvic pain or pelvic instability. The pain is often caused by a continuous tax on your pelvis. Remaining in the same posture and not frequently standing up or walking can cause or increase pelvic pain. Turbulence can cause additional movements or shocks to the pelvis. This can cause a stabbing pelvic pain. Next to the sitting position and turbulence, you can also be stressed or anxious for the flight or for the pelvic pain. This can cause you to cramp up your legs or lower back, which often leads to experiencing a nagging pain. The cramping also overtaxes your muscles and will cause a sensation of muscle soreness or stiffness.
What kind of pain can you expect when you fly with pelvic pain and pelvic instability?
You can expect to experience stabbing pain during unexpected movements. The pelvic bones shuffle and hit a nerve, pelvic ligament, or maybe something else. The additional stretching of the pelvic ligaments can also cause a stabbing pain. You can experience a continuous nagging pain in or around the pelvis. The nagging pain often comes up when your muscles have been overtaxed. The pelvic floor muscles and pelvic ligaments become irritated by the constant (over)tax.
What causes flying with pelvic pain and pelvic instability to be painful?
- Continuously sitting in the same position.
Pelvic pain co-morbid with pelvic instability becomes worse the moment that your pelvis are continuously being taxed in the same manner. Your torso (and eventually the baby in your stomach) are constantly pressing on the pelvis. This causes the pelvic ligaments and the pelvic muscles to become irritated and overtaxed. - Unexpected movements, like turbulence.
Turbulence with flying is like driving on a rocky road with a car. Turbulence isn’t risky for the plane, but it can cause an uncomfortable feeling in the pelvis. Just like with a rocky road, turbulence makes the pelvis unexpectedly move in all directions which causes additional tension on the pelvic ligaments. This additional tension can cause a stabbing pain. - Improper sitting position.
A lot of people don’t know how to sit properly. The longer the journey, the more difficult it becomes to keep a good posture. A wrong sitting position can cause additional pressure on the legs, pelvis and back. This way you can overtax a lot of muscles. - Fear for pain.
You may cramp up your legs, back and pelvis if you’re anxious for pain. The muscles surrounding the pelvis cramp up to prevent them from hurting, you’d think. But the truth is that you are actually overtaxing these muscles, which will cause more pain. - Bumping the pelvis.
During your flight, you have to deal with a lot of people and also a cramped space. The seats you’re passing by are often on hip-height as well. Which means that it’s quite easy to hurt yourself, especially when someone is trying to sneak past you. So be careful and don’t be afraid to take up your space so that everyone knows not to pass you as easily!
How to deal with pelvic pain and pelvic instability during your flight
- Frequently walk or stand.
Take a 10 minute walk for every 20 minutes you sit. Otherwise, try to stand if walking isn’t possible. Switching up your posture will help you get through the flight and ensures a proper blood flow in your pelvis, the pelvic floor and pelvic ligaments. - Wear compression stockings.
One of the risks of sitting for a prolonged period is thrombosis, especially during pregnancy. Frequently walking a little bit already incredibly decreases the risks of thrombosis and ensures a proper blood flow throughout the body. However, it’s still recommended to tackle every risk. That’s why you should try compression socks. - Use the seatbelt.
Fasten the seatbelt just below your stomach and let your stomach lean on the seatbelt. You can also fiddle around with the tightness. Sometimes a tightened seatbelt can feel more comfortable for your pelvis when you’re experiencing pelvic instability. - Use an aid.
Think of bringing an extra pillow for your flight. Feel free to take a look at these recommended cushions. These cushions can provide you a bit more comfort and will decrease some pressure on your pelvis. The firm plane seat will feel a little bit more comfortable now. - The proper sitting position.
Sit up straight with both feet placed firmly on the floor, and your knees bent 90 degrees. Make use of the backrest and don’t shift too much from left to right. You need to be able to feel both of your sit bones, so equally divide the pressure on them. Keep frequently walking or standing in mind as well.
What’s the best place to sit during a flight with pelvic pain and pelvic instability?
It’s important that you take a good look at the seat of the plane if you are experiencing pelvic pain or instability. Keep the leg room in mind, and check how easy it is to leave the row of seats to go for a little walk. It’s recommended to take a seat next to the aisle if you’re pregnant. You will need to take frequent toilet visits.
Is flying bad for the pelvic floor?
Flying isn’t necessarily bad for the pelvic floor. However, there are some possible risks if you have pelvic instability. You can make the flight more bearable for yourself and for your pelvis. Frequently change your posture, stand or walk after 20 minutes of sitting, or perform some pelvic floor exercises. That way you will feel stronger or more relaxed when you exit the plane.
Training the pelvic floor during your flight
If you have a long flight ahead, you can take the opportunity to do some pelvic floor exercises! Strengthen or relax your pelvic floor to make your flight more comfortable. Find the suitable pelvic floor exercise for you here!
And lastly, are you looking for more information?
Hopefully this information was useful to you! If you’re still looking for some more information, feel free to take another look around on the website. It’s filled with in-depth information, tips, a web shop and also exercises. I still have a lot of articles with lots of information about other symptoms and issues. Feel free to click on the blue words to take you straight to the right page.
