3 Ways to Heal Pain in Your Sciatic Nerve During Pregnancy
If you’re expecting a child, first I have to say congratulations! A pregnancy should be a great time of excitement and joy in a woman’s life. But sometimes being pregnant can cause unanticipated pain. Many women report pain in their sciatic nerve during pregnancy. This can be a tingling sensation (similar to what you may feel when your foot falls asleep) or it may be a shooting or stabbing pain anywhere from your lower back all the way down to your feet. What causes this, and what can be done to ease the feelings of sciatica during your pregnancy?
Many people are quick to assume that the sciatica is a direct result of your baby pushing down on your sciatic nerve during pregnancy. Though this may be true in some circumstances, more often than not, the sciatica is caused by a slipped or herniated disc which is only aggravated as your pregnancy progresses or by tight muscles in your lower back that may be stressed by your changing body. This causes more pressure to be placed on your sciatic nerve, and can cause you pain.
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Since your body is continually shifting and changing from one month to the next, it is very well possible that the pressure on your sciatic nerve during pregnancy may go away on its own. However this can take several weeks.
Some simple things you can do to help relieve your sciatica include:
Stretching Exercises – Taking the time to make sure your body is stretched and relaxed can help take the pressure off your sciatic nerve during pregnancy, especially if your sciatica is caused my muscular tension or imbalances. Study up on some yoga stretches for sciatica and back pain and give them a shot.
Not only will these help loosen up any tense muscles, but this can help strengthen weak back and abdominal muscles that may also cause sciatica.
Hot and Cold – Sciatica is most commonly caused when the sciatic nerve is inflamed. For a few days, you may want to consider applying cold packs to the affected area. These will help reduce the inflamation.
After 3 – 5 days of cold, switch to heat to help relax any tense muscles and improve blood flow to your lower back. It is important not to apply heat before applying cold for a few days since heat by itself may aggravate any inflammation.
Professional Help – Seeing a chiropractor or physical therapist may be helpful as well for making postural corrections to take the pressure off your sciatic nerve during pregnancy. If you choose to do this, make sure that any professional you see has experience with prenatal care to ensure that you get the best treatment advice for your condition.
So take some time and take care of yourself. I know that sciatica can be a painful and frustrating condition that can make even the most simple tasks a challenge. With a little work and effort you can eliminate the pain you feel from your sciatic nerve during pregnancy and get back to the eager expectation that comes with a new child.