Sciatica and Pregnancy
Sciatica during pregnancy turns what should be a happy, exciting time into a time of pain and misery. Sciatica symptoms can make sitting or lying down unbearable, and standing even worse! Pain, weakness, pins-and-needles and numbness can occur anywhere from the lower back down to the feet, which is the entire length of the sciatic nerve. You want relief – and you need it to be natural. Learn about a 100% natural approach to sciatica relief that’s safe to use while you’re pregnant.
Sciatica: What Exactly Is It?
Sciatica is a set of symptoms that arise when the sciatic nerve is disturbed in some way – usually by being compressed by some bony spinal element. However, sciatica is not a diagnosis of what the underlying problem is. That could be any number of things that interfere with the nerve roots or press directly on them, including:
- Disc decay or degeneration
- Disc herniation (bulging)
- Narrowing of the spinal canal
- Arthritic bone spurs
- Trauma
When sciatica pain occurs during pregnancy, women often jump to the conclusion that the baby is pressing on the sciatic nerve (along with the bladder and everything else)! While this may occur, it is much more likely that a disc injury is causing the sciatica.
Pregnancy and Sciatica
What often happens is that many years (or an entire lifetime) of unhealthy posture, underdeveloped muscles, too much sitting or standing, or improper lifting techniques creates disc degeneration and damage. For a long time, the body adapts to these problems. Eventually, however, the body reaches its limit and sciatica symptoms finally appear.
Sciatica and pregnancy go together for many women simply because the additional stress of carrying the baby is what pushes the body beyond its ability to adapt. Those underlying disc injuries are exacerbated by the weight and posture of pregnancy, resulting in sciatic nerve disturbance and sciatica pain, either in the back, the buttocks or the legs. Clearly, the traditional approach to sciatica pain relief – powerful drugs – is not an option while you’re pregnant. But there is another alternative.
Traditional Sciatica Treatment
Traditional approaches to treating sciatica focus on reducing the pain; in other words, they treat the symptoms, not the cause. Temporary sciatica pain relief can be obtained with the use of anti-inflammatories, anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, muscle relaxants and even narcotics. Most of these medications are not considered safe to take during pregnancy. Other traditional sciatica treatments include epidural steroid injections, surgery and sciatica exercises. Whether these treatments are indicated during pregnancy is debatable and the fact remains that none of the traditional sciatica treatment options addresses the underlying cause of the symptoms. Fortunately, there is another option that eases sciatica pain AND works to correct the underlying problem.
100% Natural
Our ChooseNatural.com chiropractors are kind and compassionate, not to mention highly successful with sciatica during pregnancy. Give one a call today – you’ll be amazed at how thorough and precise your chiropractor is in pinpointing exactly what’s causing your symptoms. From an in-depth question and answer session, followed by a thorough exam, your ChooseNatural.com doctor will determine if and how chiropractic can help you. The findings of these exams and a plan for addressing your particular needs will be explained – and your doctor will be more than happy to answer any questions you have about chiropractic and pregnancy. When you are comfortable, gentle, targeted adjustments will be applied to any areas of misalignment found to be causing your sciatic nerve disturbance.
Chiropractic is a safe, natural alternative to the mainstream medical model – and it’s totally safe during pregnancy. In fact, chiropractic has emerged as the leading alternative medical approach in the world, due to the fact that chiropractic is:
- Safe
- Drug-free
- Non-invasive
- Effective in addressing the underlying issues, rather than just treating symptoms
You can rest assured that chiropractic is a safe, accepted approach to sciatica during pregnancy. Chiropractors undergo years of education and training and meet stringent licensing requirements in each of the fifty states. Most insurance companies cover chiropractic care. And millions of highly satisfied patients can attest to chiropractic’s effectiveness. Obviously, no particular outcome can be guaranteed; some patients experience relief from their sciatica in just a few visits, others find they need regular fine-tuning to keep their spinal instabilities in check.
Take action today to address your sciatica symptoms and their underlying causes – call a ChooseNatural.com chiropractor to schedule your initial consultation and get started on the road to wellness! Click here for a Choose Natural sponsor in your area.
Medications and Pregnancy
There are a number of drugs typically prescribed for managing sciatica pain. Most of these drugs are not safe to use during pregnancy. Here are some common examples:
| Medication | Effects During Pregnancy |
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) | NSAIDS are generally not recommended during pregnancy. They may cause particular birth defects, and they may contribute to miscarriage or premature birth. |
| Anti-depressants | The class of anti-depressants typically prescribed for sciatica is tricyclic antidepressants, which are not recommended during pregnancy. They may cause limb malformation in the fetus. |
| Muscle relaxants | Most muscle relaxants have not been evaluated for safety during pregnancy |
| Anti-convulsants | Not recommended during pregnancy. They may cause major birth defects including congenital heart defects. |
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