OMG: Sciatic Nerve Pain - Just Entering Third Trimester, Need Relief!

I had it and googled "physical therapy exercises for sciatic". I did the exercises and they really did help.

Feel better soon!!

I wouldn't say I had sciatic nerve pain, but I did have awfully achey hips. It was terrible. What helped me was sleeping with a body pillow, on my side, with one leg over the top of the body pillow. It helps keep the hips aligned when you are sleeping/lying down. I would think it might help some with sciatic pain, though.

See a chiropractor. Good luck.

Everything your doctor said and there is not magic bullet. But, when I was in the third trimester having my husband gently pull my leg that hurt while I laid on my side or back really helped. But, everyone's body is different. BTW I still get sciatic nerve pain. Having my leg pulled still helps.

I started getting sciatica at 14 weeks with this pregnancy after never having any problems with it with my first.
My midwife suggested that swimming, yoga, chiropractics, acupuncture, pregnancy belts and massages can all provide some temporary relief, but the only permanent fix is delivery... so unfortunately there really is no magic bullet.

If you are not pregnant steroid or pain relieving shots can help but I think in general the benefits of those do not outweigh the risk to the growing fetus... so they are not usually offered to pregnant women.

I was really worried about making it through this pregnancy in that much pain... but my sciatica peaked in the middle of the second trimester and now at 28 weeks it has gotten a lot better. I still get it every now and then, especially if I overexert myself, but mostly it's gone.
Good luck!

Find a pool and swim/float as much as you can if your doctor says it's ok for you.
I wanted to live in the pool when I was pregnant.
Just floating in the water took a lot of pressure off my back (I was super buoyant - my belly kept popping up out of the water when I was on my back) - it felt SO GOOD!

My doctor recommended a maternity belt. I bought it at Motherhood Maternity and it was basically elastic and velcro that I wore under my clothes. I was skeptical, but it worked really well. I stopped wearing it when I got shingles and everything touching my skin hurt like nobody's business, but other than that it was pretty helpful.

I highly recommend rolfing. It is a more targeted and intense therapy than massage. It stretches the fascia around the muscle and I can go 5-6 months between treatments now when I used to have to go at least once or twice a month. Seriously...it changed my life.

I saw a physical therapist every week. She would help me do exercises, and then a massage therapist worked her magic. The relief only lasted about a day, but it was still helpful. My health insurance covered it. My physical therapist was so nice that she told me that if my health insurance wouldn't cover therapy through the end of my pregnancy, she would help me for free.

Of course, I was only able to go to PT for my first pregnancy. I didn't have child care during my subsequent pregnancies, so I just had to suck it up and stay off my feet as much as possible. Good luck to you. You still have a long way to go!

Swiming in the ocean seemed to help me. Luckily the beach is only a 1/2 hour away. Took the weight off, helped me move without any pressure on my joints, and something about the cool salt water and the hot sand did the trick.

Not sure how you can safely manage something similar in colorado.

Best,
F. B.

Have you tried icing the middle of your back?

The tricky thing about sciatica is that where it is HURTING isn't generally where the pain is coming from. Sciatic nerve pain happens because the nerve runs through your spinal column with a bunch of other stuff. When anything around it gets inflamed (or baby pushes on that area) there isn't the space it needs and the nerve gets constricted.

You feel PAIN all down your hip, butt, and leg... but those are the places where the nerve pain is coming from! <--- That (shown to me with a model in my doctors office) made the biggest difference in my pregnancy and life since!

So... try icing your back near the top of you pelvis. (A bag of frozen peas or an ice pack wrapped in a towel, then lean against it).

Also... sometimes the stretches and things that feel good in the moment are actually aggravating it longer term, so pay attention to whether you feel better or worse 30 minutes after you stretch. If you feel worse, I'd avoid that stretch.

Also, those elastic pregnancy belts really DO help! They redistribute some of the pressure of the baby weight and make a BIG difference. If you don't have on GET one!

HTH
T.

Hi S.,

Chiropractic care is absolutely necessary during pregnancy...bones and joints are being displaced as the baby gets bigger. Your spine needs to stay aligned in order to keep things balanced. A massage therapist is fine. Yoga is fine but it doesn't do what chiropractic care does. If you don't have one, go to upcspine.com and find one in your area. Interview them like you would any doctor. A good chiropractor can explain exactly why your spine is of ultimate importance in your immunity as well as your little one's.

Hope this helps!
M.

OMG - that is terrible. I get sciatica pain every month when "aunt-flow-from-Red-water" comes to visit. Every 28 days the pain kicks in.
I found this a while back: http://www.rydel.isagenix.com/en-US/products/categories/s...
It works great and because it's all natural, it safe for mommy and baby.

Have you ever tried acupuncture? I always thought that kind of thing sounded a little loosey-goosey... until my husband hurt his back playing rugby. He was on pain meds, but obviously that just treats the symptom (pain), not the cause. Someone suggested acupuncture, and I figured if it could get him upright and back to work, I'd try it! So, I took him in there in a wheelchair (he literally couldn't walk at all), and he walked out on his own two feet, looking like a new man. He was back to playing rugby (cringe) the next day.

The doctor we went to for the acupuncture explained that it targets nerve inflammation. Nerve inflammation is what causes the sensation of pain. Therefore, if you can get the nerves to calm down, the pain will go away. For my husband, that first acupuncture visit was 10 years ago (a subsequent MRI showed that he has no disc at all between L4 and L5 in his back - the only thing holding the vertebrae apart is that he has a lot of muscle). At first, he needed acupuncture maybe once a month, then once every 6 months. Now, he needs it maybe every other year. It has been like a miracle for him, and has allowed him not to need back surgery, so it's been worth it!

Anyway, give it a try with a reputable acupuncturist, and see if it helps!

Chiropractor! Only thing that helped me to walk when I was pregnant with my daughter!!!

I got bad sciatic pain with my 3rd child. It hurt to get out of bed. I finally saw a chiropractor, which I had done before. I had a massage there and then the doctor adjusted my back. I experienced complete relief. I didn't even have to go back. One visit cured it. Give it a try.

Sit on an exercise ball - a big one that is used for a chair, they even come with backs now. There are stretches you might be able to do but, I think you might be a tad to pregnant!