Stretches to Reduce sciatica pain during pregnancy
I’m pregnant and I have this annoying, tingling pain and numbness down my leg! What do I do to make it go away?!
Sound familiar?! Many women, 40% in fact, state that they experience this in their lifetime. A group of these being women who are pregnant. If you begin to feel your sciatica act up; it is not the specific nerve that is ‘malfunctioning’ but an issue in your body that is out of whack.
WHAT IS SCIATICA?
Sciatica pain is a nerve that runs from your lower back down your leg to your ankle; people may experience sciatica pain during pregnancy or not pregnant.
When you feel sciatica pain it typically radiates down one leg, effecting your lower back, hips, butt cheeks and/or leg. It usually only affects one leg; not both.
WHAT CAUSES SCIATICA TO HURT DURING PREGNANCY?
Sciatica pain during pregnancy is a complicated issue to diagnose accurately. There are a few causes that could be the culprit:
- Compression by a herniated disk or other alignment issue.
- Compression by inflammation of a deep muscle within your buttocks called the piriformis.
Mainly from the perspective of pregnancy, it tends to be inflammation in your piriformis muscle, which puts pressure on the nerve.
- Weak Core. Your pelvic floor, spine and abdominal muscles all can affect your sciatica also. If your pelvis is out of alignment; all the surrounding muscles will be putting pressure in other areas which could be in turn pushing on your sciatica nerve.
HOW TO HEAL & PREVENT SCIATICA DURING PREGNANCY
In both cases above, prevention and healing sciatica pain during pregnancy begins with proper alignment. Proper alignment in the hips, pelvis, upper body & proper breathing.
Understanding correct core mechanics and being sure that your pelvis tilt is neutral will relieve pain quite quickly. Read more here to find out proper posture positioning during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Another reason your piriformis muscle could be inflamed is because your glute max muscle, hamstring or hip flexor muscles are weak. These are the muscles that surround your piriformis muscle that goes right over your sciatica nerve. When one of those muscles are not able to do their job correctly and support your body other muscles have to take over which leads to dysfunction, pain and misalignment throughout your body.
Foam rolling on the side of your buttcheek muscles is a great way to reduce inflammation in the piriformis muscle. This will turn the piriformis off and signal your glute to turn back on and do its job.
In order to relieve sciatica pain during pregnancy, avoid weight bearing cardio, such as one legged jumping, running, jumping jacks etc. Non weight bearing activities would be walking, swimming, elliptical or stationary bike.
Lastly, it is ALWAYS recommended that you see a physical therapist if you are experiencing pain. A Physical Therapist would be able to provide specific massage and show you how to do self massage as needed.
Seeing a Physical Therapist if you have Sciatica pain is a must! They will massage you & share self massage techniques to further reduce inflammation.
STRETCHES TO REDUCE SCIATICA PRESSURE
- Bridge Pose
- Butt Clenching
- Pigeon Pose
- Figure 4 Stretch
- Pelvic Floor Releasing
EXERCISE TRAINING TO INCREASE GLUTE MUSCLES & HIP FLEXORS
- Monster Walks
- Staggered Leg Deadlift
- Around the World Tap Outs
- Squats-Wide & Narrow
IN CONCLUSION:
Sciatica pain during pregnancy is an inflammation in the sciatica nerve that runs from your lower back down your leg to your ankle.
When you feel sciatica pain it typically radiates down one leg, effecting your lower back, hips, butt cheeks and/or leg. It usually only affects one leg; not both.
Sciatica pain is a complicated issue to diagnose accurately. There are a few causes that could be the culprit:
- Compressed disk or nerve in lower spine
- Inflamed piriformis muscle
- Weak core and pelvic floor caused by alignment issue.
Best treatment involves going to see a physical therapist, correcting posture and alignment, reducing inflammation in the piriformis muscle by foam rolling and building strength in the glutes and hip flexors.
RESOURCES:
https://healthandfitnessstartwithyou.com/best-exercises-and-stretches-for-sciatica-pain-treatment
https://www.expectingandempowered.com/blog/2018/10/3/sciatica
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