Treating Sciatica in Pregnant Women
In the event sciatica does occur during pregnancy, physicians and patients typically want to be conservative with treatments — avoiding medication and unnecessary procedures, if possible.
Because it’s well known that sciatica can occur during pregnancy, most women understand it may just be part of the gestation process and try to cope as best they can without invasive treatments. They should still let their doctors know about the pain, though, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
A few strategies for naturally relieving sciatica during pregnancy include the following:
- Getting ample rest
- Lying down on the side of your body opposite the pain to help alleviate some of the pressure on the nerve
- Avoiding heavy lifting
- Not standing for long periods
- Doing low-impact exercises, such as swimming
- Applying hot or cold compresses to painful areas
- Considering acupuncture
- Wearing a maternity support belt
- Booking a few sessions with a physical therapist to learn proper positioning techniques and how to transfer in and out of bed and in and out of chairs and vehicles, Dr. Patel suggests
More involved treatments aren’t off the table, especially for those who need them.
“If the pain is severe or she has neurologic findings (sensory changes or weakness), we can still perform a spinal injection to relieve pain, using ultrasound rather than X-ray guidance,” says David A. Spinner, DO, a physiatrist and director of pain management at White Plains Hospital in New York, who specializes in treating pregnant women who have sciatica.
However, Dr. Mukai says her first line of treatment is typically therapy-based. “I usually get patients into pelvic therapy with a certified pelvic therapist to work on looking at the pelvic floor function and teach techniques to try to self-correct alignment issues,” she says. “I also recommend a pregnancy support belt or an SI joint belt to help support the pelvis.”
According to the American Pregnancy Association, always contact your healthcare provider if the pain becomes constant, gets more frequent, or becomes more severe.
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