Sciatic Pregnancy - what can you actually do to help yourself when your sciatic nerve gives you trouble during a time in your life that should be enjoyable and exciting? Pregnancy sciatica is not a condition in itself, but rather the symptoms of a combination of underlying causes, which manifest themselves when the sciatic nerve is being irritated. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower end of your spine, through your buttocks and thighs all the way to your feet. It gets inflamed when it receives too much pressure, be that from a herniated disk or a clenched muscle (as in piriformis syndrome) or a different underlying cause. The Symptoms range from a numb, tingly or burning sensation in your lower back, over achy and dull pain to shooting pain down your leg.
During the second and third trimester the position of the baby tends to heighten the pressure on the tissue surrounding the sciatic nerve and it comes as no surprise to see a prior sciatica condition get worse. In preparation for birth ligaments and tendons also loosen up. You add the extra weight around the waist to that and the probabilities for disk injury went up a notch or two, which, if it happens then puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. Women are more susceptible to disk injury during pregnancy due to these circumstances.
In most of the cases sciatic pregnancy pain will disappear by itself, but it is possible for the process to take up to six weeks and over. For some patients it has been beneficial to plan routine visits with their physical therapist in order to get help to relieve their symptoms. In many cases manual therapy relieves the pressure and discomfort from the back pain you may experience during pregnancy.
Your physical therapist might also be a good person to talk to in order to find you some suitable sciatic pregnancy exercises, that would be beneficial in your pain management and would also strengthen your back and abdominal muscles and the muscles of the pelvic floor. If these muscle groups are in good condition you may experience less difficulty during the birthing process and even during recuperation afterwards.
Some patients also rely on chiropractic care to relieve their sciatic pregnancy pain. Just keep in mind when seeing a chiropractor or a manual therapist to make sure they are experienced in working with pregnant patients.
To reduce inflammation and other sciatica symptoms many women have found massage therapy to be very helpful, since it greatly relieves muscle tension and tightness. When certain muscle groups tense up too much (like for example the piriformis muscle in your buttocks) they will probably add to your sciatica pain. Massages reduce tension and inflammation and therefore help to increase circulation and speed up the healing process.
Should you develop pregnancy sciatica make sure you'll consult your doctor or physical therapist about what kinds of treatments are available to you, especially in your condition, since not every treatment for sciatica is for every cause of it and especially during pregnancy the choice of therapy needs to be made carefully with the help of knowledgeable professionals. Cold/Hot treatment may be applied, as may bed rest for some days, until the acute pain simmers down. Changes in posture may be greatly beneficial to alleviate pain and pressure on your discs since one of the main underlying causes of sciatica is poor posture.
Want to find out more about sciatic pregnancy , then visit Christina Meier's site on how to get the best advice on sciatic pregnancy for your needs.
