Sciatica is a rare condition that can cause pain or burning sensation in the lower back, butt, and/or legs, difficulty walking or standing, tingling or weakness in the legs or feet, and tenderness in the lower back. It is a common issue during pregnancy, but it is not more prone to sciatica. Maternity support garments (MSGs) are widely available and commonly recommended for alleviating lower back pain (LBP) and pelvic girdle pain.
To relieve sciatica during pregnancy, lay down on the side opposite of the pain to relieve pressure. Hormones, weight gain, baby position, and other factors can trigger sciatica, which is a relatively rare clinical entity of LBP during pregnancy. Supporting the lower back by wearing a pelvic girdle (also called a support belt or maternity belt) is highly recommended for anyone suffering from back pain. The incidence of low back pain (LBP), pelvic girdle pain (PGP), or sciatica during pregnancy exceeds two-thirds of women (1,2,3,4).
One of the best ways to relieve sciatic pain during pregnancy is using a maternity belt or “support band”. This support belt helps reduce pressure on the lower back and takes some weight off the spine, reducing tension on the sciatic nerve. Some women swear by pregnancy girdles for sciatic nerve pain, as they help evenly distribute pregnancy weight and improve posture.
Maternity support belts help lower the risk of back pain and other discomfort during pregnancy. They are recommended by midwives and doctors. Relieving pressure on the sciatic nerve with small changes like wearing a pregnancy support belt and low-heeled shoes can help relieve sacroiliac joint pain and round ligament pain, which are often associated with pregnancy.
Simatica symptoms may be confused with other common pregnancy complaints, such as pelvic girdle pain, leg cramps, or non-specific low back pain.
📹 7 Best Sciatica Stretches for Quick Sciatica Pain Relief (Pregnancy-Safe)
Do you suffer from sciatica pain? These stretches are for you! Relieve sciatic nerve pain with these 7 stretches. This is my first …
How to help with sciatica pain when pregnant?
To manage back pain during pregnancy, follow these tips:
- Take warm showers and use warm compresses or heating pads for 10 minutes at a time.
- Stretch your muscles gently with stretching exercises or prenatal yoga.
- Do strength-training exercises to increase the strength of the trunk and back muscles, stabilize the spine, and provide a firm base for your growing midsection.
- Try pelvic tilts to strengthen abdominal muscles, which can relieve back pain.
- Swim for exercise, as it can help relieve pressure off the sciatic nerve.
- Use a maternity belt or belly band for support.
- Avoid prolonged standing on your feet, rest your foot on a stool or other object, and avoid sitting in one position for long periods.
- Sleep on the opposite side of the pain if the pain is on one side.
- Use plenty of back support when sleeping, using a firm mattress and a pregnancy pillow for support.
- Consider alternative therapies like acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, and massage therapy.
- Ask your provider which pain medication is most effective and safe for you and in what doses.
- Avoid lifting anything heavy.
- If none of these methods help, talk to your provider about a referral to a physical therapist for treatment, prevention, and recovery of various conditions, including sciatica.
Can barely walk sciatica during pregnancy?
Sciatica is a common pregnancy symptom that can cause severe pain, including difficulty walking and sleeping. It is caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve, which runs below the uterus and can be irritated by the baby’s weight or changes in posture due to the growing bump. The pain can radiate from hip to foot and can include occasional or constant pain in one side of the buttocks or leg, along the sciatic nerve path, sharp, shooting, or burning pain, numbness, pins and needles, or weakness in the affected leg or foot, and difficulty walking, standing, or sitting. Some women may be hesitant to take steroids or other medications for relief.
Will a maternity belt help sciatica?
Belly belts can provide numerous benefits during pregnancy, including decreased leg swelling, improved posture, easier exercise, lower risk of falls, reduced pregnancy aches and pains, prevention of pre-term contractions, reduced bladder pressure, and stabilization of sacroiliac joints. By evenly distributing the baby’s weight over the abdomen and lower back, they alleviate pressure on lower body muscles, ligaments, joints, and back, reducing pain. Additionally, belly belts can help prevent pre-term contractions by reducing overall stress on the body.
However, it is important to consider the potential discomfort and use of belly belts in moderation. Wearing a belt during times of discomfort can help promote proper blood flow and reduce the risk of complications. It is recommended to wear it during the times when the baby is more uncomfortable, as it can provide compression and help maintain proper blood flow. It is essential to wear a belly belt during the times when the baby is more uncomfortable to ensure the best possible experience during pregnancy.
How do you get immediate relief from sciatica?
Sciatica is a common condition that can be treated with heat, over-the-counter medicines, and NSAIDs. It usually affects one leg at a time, but can occur in both in rare cases. The cause of sciatica can be sudden or gradual, depending on factors like disk herniation, injury, or degenerative conditions. Weight gain during pregnancy is not usually related to sciatica, but two main factors explain why it is more likely to occur during pregnancy. It is important to follow proper treatment protocols and avoid over-the-counter medications.
Can shapewear help with sciatica?
Tight-fitting waistbands and undergarments can exert pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to recurrent exacerbations. To treat sciatica, it is recommended that patients consult with Spine and Pain Specialists of the Carolinas for an examination of the lower back and effective strategies to reduce pain and discomfort. Furthermore, they can propose efficacious strategies to mitigate the probability of pain and discomfort.
Does sciatica get worse before labor?
Sciatica is a common ache and discomfort experienced during pregnancy, causing shooting pain down the lower back and legs due to a pinched or inflamed sciatic nerve. This pain can range from mild to severe and often goes away with treatment. It is caused by a pinched or inflamed sciatic nerve that runs the length of the lower back, down the leg, and into the toes. Most women experience some form of back pain during their pregnancy, but it is not less frustrating now.
What birthing position is good for sciatica?
The patient likely had an OP fetus, which is an abnormal presentation in approximately 25 of cephalic deliveries. This presentation increases maternal discomfort due to pressure on the lumbosacral plexus, may cause prolonged labor, and decreases the rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery. Knee-chest position can help relieve pain and facilitate the rotation of the fetus to occiput anterior position, increasing the rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery. This simple intervention with little risk should be tried routinely in patients with new onset of pain amidst an adequate epidural block.
In conclusion, it is important to evaluate an epidural before bolusing or replacing it, as it may have subjected the patient to an unnecessary procedure and associated risks without any benefits. A discussion with the patient led to treatment with position changes, which corrected the fetal malpresentation, relieved her pain, and allowed labor to progress to a successful delivery. Cureus is not responsible for the scientific accuracy or reliability of data or conclusions published within the content, and articles should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
How do you hold a baby with sciatica?
When picking up your baby from various surfaces, bend your knees to squat without bending from the waist. Keep your back straight, feet hip-width apart, and hold your baby close to your body. Use your legs for standing instead of your back. Look for a crib with adjustable sides and do it each time you put or take your baby in or out to avoid reaching down to raise the baby more than necessary.
Do girdles help sciatica?
Pregnancy girdles are a popular treatment for sciatic nerve pain due to their ability to evenly distribute pregnancy-related weight and improve posture. However, a considerable number of pregnancy-related complications, including sciatic nerve pain, tend to abate following childbirth. Should further inquiries arise, we advise consulting a Walnut Hill OBGYN physician.
What is stage 4 sciatica?
Stage 4 of Sciatica involves decreased pain or complete resolution of symptoms, allowing the individual to return to normal activities. It is crucial to consult a healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, as symptoms may indicate a more serious condition like a tumor or blood clot. Common triggers for Sciatica include herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or degenerative disc disease.
How painful is sciatica compared to childbirth?
Sciatica is a severe pain that often comes on suddenly due to disc herniation, which can be worse than childbirth or kidney stones. Most people experience leg pain, which is worse than back pain, and it usually occurs without any specific accident or injury. The pain usually gets better within 6-12 weeks, as the body works to remove the herniated disc material, relieving pressure on the nerve. Initially, there is inflammation with chemicals that irritate the nerve, which gradually improves.
There are 10-20 people who improve but do not completely get better, and those who do are candidates for surgery. The success rate of surgery is 80-90, but there are risks associated with surgery, making it the last resort for treatment. Most people recover and can return to normal activities, including work and recreational activities.
Treatment for sciatica typically involves finding ways to manage the pain until it goes away. Drugs such as painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication can help, while seizure medication like Gabapentin and Lyrica are more effective due to their ability to reduce electrical activity in the nerve. Physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, and massage therapy can provide temporary relief but do not make the disc herniation heal faster. Injections of cortisone into the spine called nerve root blocks or epidural blocks can provide pain relief or improvement by decreasing inflammation around the nerve.
The natural history of the condition means that no matter what treatment is received, the pain is likely to gradually get better and go away. Lifestyle modification involves avoiding activities that make the pain worse and finding positions or activities that minimize the pain. People often worry that they are causing more damage by remaining active or continuing to work, but this is usually not the case.
📹 How to Stop Sciatica when Pregnant.Effective Home Exercises to Stop Sciatic Nerve Pain.
“Famous” Physical Therapists Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck present effective home exercises for sciatica when pregnant.
Thanks so much! I really mean it from the bottom of my heart. I am suffering from sciatica pain tremendously. I have even gone to physical therapy, massages, I have done every stretch, heat, cold, you name it… and I felt no improvement until I bumped into your article. Thanks to you I am no longer in this intense pain I had. This is truly a gift! Much appreciated 🙏 😊
I tried multiple stretches/exercises/pain relief movements recommended by others but got virtually no relief. This exercise/stretch routine, however, gave me great relief! Thank you!! Currently 25 weeks pregnant with my fourth child and I’ll put this on a playlist to return to throughout the rest of gestation! ❤ ❤❤
I’m so thankful for finding this article – I had no idea I was doing the figure 4 stretch wrong this whole time and I’ve been saying to my husband “I swear my stretching is making my sciatica pain worse” and now it makes sense!! This newly tweaked figure 4 stretch is so so relieving on the left side where I’m suffering. Thank you for this information!!
I just did these stretches and boy did they feel good! I’m not pregnant, but I have been dealing with sciatica for years!!! And, I have been flare ups lately, along with really tight hip flexors! This was really good! But, I will opt for my percussion gun over that painful foam roller…lol. You look good and I can’t believe this is your third child…goals for anyone who is wanting to be a mommy! Mine is grown and I’m too old to have any more…congrats to you young lady! Just subscribed to your website recently!
I see all the other comments here thanking you for this, and I’m just going to add that it works postpartum as well. I’ve been dealing with this pain from the middle of pregnancy into 6 months postpartum and I’ve tried every other pregnancy and postpartum stretch article I found. Some have helped, but this is the one that finally got my muscle to release my nerve and gave me complete pain relief for the first time in almost a year. Thank you, I’m actually crying lol 😂
Not sure is it just me, I suffered from minor sciatica and in 23 weeks pregnancy. Just tried few stretches following the article and I end up in tears couldn’t stand up at all, took me 15 mins with my husband’s help to stand up from the floor and now I am in pain more than even 🙁 I really hope this work but I am scared of trying other exercises without going to check with a physiotherapist
Thank you so so much.. I am pregnant with 4months,since 2nd month I have this severe leg and hip pain.. My gynic said its sciatica which is common in pregnancy and suggested to do stretches from google but none worked.. I watched this article and the toe and head raise chair exercise worked for me.. just did twice and my pain is gone totally.. all in one day.. Two months it was like hell for me to sleep or sit.. Thanks a lot
These exercise have given me the gift of sleep. I hadn’t slept for 2 weeks straight because the pain became unbearable at night, but I did these for 2 days, and god it’s just gone!!! I cannot thank you enough!!! I highly recommend these exercises, for anyone who’s been suffering from sciatica pain in pregnancy!
I am 37 weeks pregnant and have had unbearable sciatic pain the past week. I just woke up one day with it. This is my first pregnancy and I have felt hopeless not knowing how much longer this would last and if I could not handle this pain then how in the heck would I handle labor. When I say debilitating i mean that I have barely been able to walk. I could only take very short shuffle steps. Daily tasks like showering and dressing made me wince and yelp in pain. Sitting in the car to drive to work was almost unbearable. These exercises have seemed to help. I have been able to walk a little better and complete daily tasks without wanting to cry every second. If you feel this way you are not alone!
My God! I have been going through hell with this pain- never knew how many other people might have a similar problem- randomly bumped into this article, and just want to tell everyone here that I just did the first stretch like a couple of times and my pain has magically come down. 😢This was Godsent for all of us going through this pain in pregnancy
Just wanted to thank you for making this article. I had pain for a whole month. It hurt to sit, stand, walk and even lay down. I tried the first 2 stretches; twice an hour for a whole day and although the pain is still not completely gone, it feels soo much better! Sometimes I even forget I have the pain.
Thank you both so much!!! I’m 24.5 weeks and over the last week the pain has become unbearable! Some days I’m fine others I feel like I’d be more comfortable without my left leg! I’ve been limping for the last week and I can’t wait to feel normal again the first stretch you showed with the towel helped to loosen it all up so much! Thanks again!!!
I started searching for articles on stretches for sciatica because I’ve just been so desperate! The second stretch that you demonstrated helps so much, but my daughter is really active and responds to almost everything that I do. She seemed to not be a fan of this position 😩. But a few seconds of relief was enough for me to not feel hopeless.
This is amazing!!!! I am week 6 pregnant and already started feeling nerve pain,don’t know what we call that pain. I was just following you two what you are doing in the article,that really really help my pain and i kind of get rid of the pain for the moment.I shall try repeat exercise when i am in pain. I can’t thank you enough.Really appreciate for the article.
I love it! This is my first time seeing you guys, just googled pregnancy sciatica relief and found you, and I already subscribed. I loved the intro and the dynamic between you two! Not to mention, the relief I’ve experienced just in the 10min of perusal this article just kind of following along. I’m 6mo pregnant and have had sciatic pain off and on most of my adult life, but it just popped on during my pregnancy a couple weeks ago. My husband makes fun of how I walk sometimes when it’s bad and calls my painful leg “the lame one” haha. Thanks so much for making this article, and congrats to your niece!
Hello Doctors! In the beginning of the article you mentioned that most of the pregnancy pain is caused by SI, and not sciatica. Now I’m thinking I have SI pain, because my pain doesn’t really go down the leg, but stays up in the lower back left side, right where you showed. Do these exercise help with SI as well, or can you recommend something else? Thank you so much!
I would advise everyone here to do something very counterintuitive: exercise! Prenatal exercise can actually greatly reduce your sciatica pain. This is speaking from my personal experience. I had been exercising every day for 30 minutes and I took a break for about 4 days and found I was just crippled from the sciatic pain. As soon as I began exercising again, it went away entirely.
Coming back to add an update. The pain did NOT get better. I was 8 months pregnant when the pain began. 1 month postpartum and it was no better. 2 months postpartum the pain was worse. I began PT. 3 months postpartum the physical pain had began to wear on me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I went to the ER and ended up having emergency laminectomy and discectomy due to severe L4-L5 disc herniation. Just coming back to say that if your pain is not improving then you may have more serious problems! I am 29. This was my first pregnancy. I am very active. Played college softball. I ran a 10k last year. Played pickleball up until I was 6 months pregnant. I gained 50lbs during pregnancy and on my 5″8 frame it did not seem like too much. I felt like I was carrying it well. I have no idea how i herniated the disc but 4 months of unbearable pain almost killed me.
i had this pain during my pregnancy with my twins last year and now im 7 months pregnant again but this time with just one babe but the pain is soooooo bad!!! its better when i stand up but really bad when im sitting and than try to get up, especially when im on the floor, i often change my twins on the floor and when i get move to get back up im just like nope.. and im frozen there. im going to try these moves and hopefully get some relief because this is bad, oh so bad!!!
I’ve had this pain even prior to pregnancy, im sure likely due to weight gain over the years. And with pregnancy, it has only gotten worse – especially these last couple of weeks. I’m exactly one day out from my due date and in the worst pain. I’m terrified that the pain will continue to affect the way I move, stand, sit, lay – that when labor and delivery come it will really affect my ability to relax whenever possible. I’m going to try these and bring the pain up to my doctor and pray it gets better. But I feel totally defeated already 😞
I am 37 weeks pregnant, i was so scared tonight because i had too much sciatica pain, it woke me up all the time, and getting out of the bed was almost impossible it took me 30 minutes. Every little movement was pinching my nerve, i felt stuck inside the bed. Omg finally i managed to get up but I’m so scared, idk how the next weeks will pass, laying down makes it extremely bad.