Sciatica During Pregnancy – Causes, Symptoms & Treatments
Have you been feeling a constant shooting pain in one of your feet during your pregnancy? Do you what sciatica is? How does it happen? Read this post and find out all you need to know about sciatica.
What Is Sciatica In Pregnancy?
Sciatica is a condition, where inflammation occurs in one of the five spinal nerve roots of your lower body’s nerve root. The sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy originates from the lower back and travels the length of your legs, right down to your feet. It is the most important nerve of the lower body and is responsible for sensations and movement.
Sciatica is not a single condition, but the name of an array of symptoms. The symptoms usually occur due to pressure or inflammation in your lower back. They can lead to tightening or irritation in your sciatic nerve. Sciatic pain can range from mild to moderate to severe.
Recovering from sciatica depends on many factors like medication, muscle, bone, and nerve strength and a stroke of luck, as well.
So how does sciatica relate to pregnancy? Read on and find out about sciatica in pregnancy
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Sciatica And Pregnancy- Myth Or Fact?
Contrary to popular belief, sciatica is not related to pregnancy. Most people assume that the weight of your foetus will cause foot pain, but it might not be sciatica. If you do contract sciatica, it will mostly be due to inflammation, pressure or a slip disc. You might have heard of the baby pressing down on the sciatic nerve theory, but studies don’t hint to such conclusions. Rest assured that sciatica is not due to the little angel in your tummy.
However, there is a strong case for pregnancy increasing the risk of sciatica.
Firstly, during pregnancy, while you bear the weight of the entire fetus, your body balance may be disturbed, and you aren’t in a stable posture. The awkwardly imbalanced posture and increased weight can increase your risk of contracting sciatica.
You might experience tingling in one of your feet, deadness or even shooting pain in the lower back, especially while you are sitting. If you do, then you might have sciatica.
When you sit down, your fetus’ weight is downwards, which may result in a tightening of the sciatic nerve. Though sciatica is not an uncommon condition in pregnant women, it can lead to complications. You might lose balance and injure yourself. However, these cases are only possibilities, and there aren’t any sure-fire ways of telling you whether your pregnancy is the reason for sciatica.
[Read: Suffers From Back Problems ]
Possible Causes Of Sciatica During Pregnancy:
There are many theories about how sciatica can occur during pregnancy. We list some possible causes here.
- As you put on weight during your pregnancy, the added weight leads to more pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Another possible reason is that your center of gravity shifts and tightens your pelvic area.
- When the baby changes to birth posture, he/she presses down on the sciatic nerve.
Identifying The Symptoms:
Sciatica due to pregnancy may only be a possibility, but how do you know if you have sciatica or a pregnancy-induced pelvic pain. Fret not! Here we list some symptoms to help you identify sciatica. Sciatica usually leads to:
- Acute pain in the back and buttocks which travels down either one of your legs.
- Lower body pain.
- An abnormal curve in your lower back.
- Burning and painful muscles.
- A pins and needles feeling in your foot or deadness.
Different Conditions:
Most sciatic pains are temporary, at least for an expecting mom like you. However, research concludes that sciatic pains may continue until well past your delivery, and persist for years sometimes. If you are someone who suffers from back problems or osteoporosis, you need to be extra careful, as you are most likely to contract sciatica, even if you are in your 20s.
Consulting The Doctor:
Sciatica is temporary, and you might not need to visit your doctor if you have mild discomfort. However, you should consider taking boost up pills on your doctor’s advice. He will be the best person to guide you during your special time. If the pain is persistent and refuses to abate, you might need to visit your doctor immediately.
Home Remedies And Tips For Sciatica:
You could supplement the doctor’s treatment with some home remedies. We list some simple tips and home remedies here:
- Warm massage the affected area.
- Rest your legs, hips and buttocks.
- Change your sleeping posture to relieve sciatic pains. Pregnant women experiencing sciatic pains prefer sleeping sideways.
- Change to a spongy and soft mattress.
- Consider buying a pregnancy pillow to rest your pelvis.
- If you do not find pregnancy pillow, keep a regular one between your legs when you sleep.
- Go to a pregnancy exercise class or perform yoga poses to brace your pelvic core muscles.
- Consider swimming in warm water, as it will shift your weight balance and help relieve sciatic pain.
- Perform low-impact remedial exercises.
- Get a prenatal massage. It will not only relieve pain but will also help you sleep better. Prenatal massages boost blood circulation as well.
- You can also consider acupuncture therapy to relieve sciatic pain.
- Buy a girdle that lifts your uterus a bit. The girdle helps balance the weight proportionately and reduces sciatic pain.
- Use hot water bottles or heating pads to ease the pain.
Preventing Sciatica:
Unfortunately, there is no particular way to prevent sciatica. However, you can perform low-impact exercises, or simple yoga poses to prevent sciatic pain from recurring. Some steps you should consider include:
- Maintain the right posture.
- Walking or Swimming.
- Avoid lifting heavy objects.
- Don’t sit down for too long.
- Change your sleeping posture.
- Use a chair that supports your lower back well. Swivel chairs are ideal.
[ Read: Benefits Of Walking During Pregnancy ]
We hope you found the information useful. Share this information with other moms and let them know all about sciatica. Did you experience sciatic pain during your pregnancy? How did you cope with it? Tell us all about it below, leave a comment.
