Sciatic Pain During Pregnancy
Some women experience sciatic pain (sciatica) in pregnancy. This is a pain caused by the sciatic nerve that runs through the back and all the way to the ankle. As the baby grows it can often press against this nerve causing pain in the following areas:
- Middle back.
- Lower back.
- Thigh.
- Leg (all the way to the foot.)
A lot of medication prescribed for sciatica can’t be used during pregnancy. Here are a few things that may help:
- Magnesium tablets (check with your doctor first.)
- Hot packs.
- Cold packs.
- Equal amounts of walking and resting. Too much of either can intensify the pain.
- Seeing a physiotherapist or chiropractor. There are certain exercises that help stretch the muscles to relieve the pain.
Some other things you should know about sciatica in pregnancy:
- It doesn’t necessarily get worse. I had it start at about 25 weeks and it actually got better towards the end.
- If you have a job that involves standing up all day it can aggravate it very badly, often leaving you in a lot of pain once you get home from work, even if you rest.
- After the baby’s birth, the sciatica can continue. My baby is 3 months old and I still have the occasional sharp stabbing pain.
Hi My wife has been suffering tremendously from her sciatic nerve during her pregnancy (2nd). One thing she has done this time is get two massages a week, but most importantly a relatively new technique called "needling". This is similiar to accupuncture but is done only on the sciatic nerve and it used to release the tension in the muscle with a few flicks of the needle. Not terribly painful at all and it works for extended periods. Your doctor must include the term needling in the perscription or the therapist can't do it. But that has helped her the most. Thanks for a great blog! (30 more days were almost there!)