Prenatal Sciatica
Sciatica pain can be very debilitating. Many pregnant women experience sciatica pain during pregnancy. For most, the sciatica flares from the postural changes the pregnant body go through as the baby grows along with a misaligned pelvis.
Prenatal Chiropractic Care is a great place to start when you have shooting pain in your lower back and legs or associated symptoms such as numbness or leg or foot tingling.
The sciatic nerve, the largest in the body, starts in the lower back, runs down the buttocks and branches down the back of the legs to the ankles and feet.
A condition referred to as Piriformis Syndrome is caused when the piriformis muscle, located in the buttock region, spasms. It can irritate the sciatic nerve and cause pain, numbness and tingling along the back of the leg and into the foot.
Causes of Sciatic in pregnancy:
- Weight gain and increased fluid retention
- Your expanding uterus might also press down on the sciatic nerve in the lower part of your spine.
- Your growing belly and breasts shift your center of gravity forward and stretch your lordotic curve causing the muscles in your bottom and pelvic area to tighten and pinch the sciatic nerve.
- Your baby’s head can rest directly on the nerve when they settle into the proper birth position in the third trimester.
Treatments
Prenatal chiropractic care is effective in realigning the pelvis to create more space for the growing baby and relieve sciatic pain. Also, realigning the pelvis allows for decreased labour times, optimal fetal position, and better natural labour outcomes in most cases.
Prenatal massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive, and hands-on approach to helping the body realign and relieve pain. Massage incorporates soft fluid strokes in order to create deep relaxation for the body and the mind helping to ease the stresses of pregnancy. The focus of the massage is therapeutic and rehabilitating to help get patients out of sciatica or other pain associated with pregnancy.
Prenatal chiropractic care for relief from Sciatica is a great place to start when you have shooting pain in your lower back and legs or associated symptoms such as numbness or leg or foot tingling.
Dr Natasha Hayden is a pediatric and prenatal chiropractor that is passionate about helping her community discover just how good their bodies are designed to feel, so they can do more of what they love.
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