30 DAYS UNTIL MY DUE DATE! Thirty. Days. This is not a drill people! Although every one of my pregnancies has been different there wasn’t anything really surprising about this time around. Bigger belly, check. Shortness of breath, check. Sciatica pain, check. Sciatica pain during pregnancy is something I’ve dealt with before but I feel like it’s not talked about enough. Today I’d like to share some of my personal experience with Sciatica pain and what you can do about it. Please keep in mind that I am not a medical professional and this post is merely a reflection of my own experience and research. Always consult your doctor when dealing with pain, especially during pregnancy.
sciatica pain during pregnancy
what is sciatica pain?
Sciatica pain is caused from issues with your sciatic nerve. It can cause shooting pain that may reach from your lower back to your feet. In my experience with Sciatica during pregnancy it occurs later on in pregnancy (20+ weeks) as the baby grows and puts increased pressure on the sciatic nerve. The pain is typically concentrated in my buttocks but on bad pain days can radiate all the way to my ankles. Again, this is just my personal experience.
what can I do about sciatica pain during pregnancy?
If you search online about ways to help with Sciatica pain all sorts of results will pop up. Chiropractic visits, various supplements, gentle prenatal massage, and steroid injections are among the recommended forms of treatment. Well, I don’t know about you but those treatments aren’t really practical for me. As important as my health is it’s hard enough for me to get out of my house for a required doctor’s visit, let alone an elective appointment with a chiropractor or massage therapist. Don’t worry though—if you’re like me there are some simpler forms of treatment I’ve discovered over the years.
simple tips for helping with sciatica pain
- Stay active—even though it seems contrary, the less sedentary you are the less likely you are to suffer from Sciatica pain. If I’m sitting at the computer or in the car for long periods of time I try to take breaks and walk around or stretch.
- Maintain good posture—one of the best ways I’ve found to help with back pain and Sciatica pain during pregnancy is to maintain good posture. I try to hold myself upright and engage my core at all times.
- Keep hydrated—when I’m having a bad pain day and I think about it I often realize that I didn’t have enough water that day. Whether it’s round ligament pain, back pain, or Sciatica staying hydrated can definitely help you be more comfortable.
- Alternate heat and cool—of course you want to be careful when using heat as a pain relief technique during pregnancy. There’s a reason that pregnant women are advised to stay out of hot tubs. However, short periods of mild heat applied to the problem area can really do wonders. One tip is to drive with seat warmers on if you have them.
- Try simple stretches—simple stretches and some gentle prenatal yoga can do wonders for Sciatica pain. Both can be done easily at home but make sure you’re doing movements approved for pregnancy.