Sciatica is a painful and discomforting condition that occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed. This nerve, the longest one in the human body, starts at the lower back and extends through the buttocks to the back of the legs, all the way down to the feet.
Pregnant women often suffer from sciatica, especially in their second and third trimesters. The symptoms they experience commonly include numbness, tingling, burning and pain in one of the legs, as well as in the lower back and the buttocks.
Sciatica affects pregnant women probably because the enlarged uterus presses on the sciatic nerve. The symptoms go away after the baby is born, but there are tips and exercises that can help alleviate them during pregnancy.
Sciatica tips for pregnant women
Sleeping can be very difficult for pregnant women who suffer from sciatica. The symptoms of sciatica often affect just one side of the body and it is recommended to sleep on the other side instead. Using a body pillow seems to be very helpful. Changing sides as soon as one of the symptoms appears is also recommended.
It is noted that sitting makes the sciatica symptoms worse, which is why it is advised to stand, stretch and walk as often as possible, especially during long periods of sitting.
Sciatica stretches for pregnant women
One of the best stretches for pregnant women who suffer from sciatica is cat-cow stretch. It basically means getting down on hands and knees on the floor, with hands right below the shoulders and knees right below the hips, with back flat. As soon as this position is achieved, the woman will feel the pressure from the lower back is gone. This is the cat position, and in order to move to the cow position, the pelvis should be slowly raised towards the ceiling and the belly should be moved towards the floor.
The downward facing dog is a stretch exercise that alleviates sciatica symptoms from the legs. It also shifts the pressure from the lower back and pelvic area. This position basically looks like an inverted letter V. The starting position is on all four, with hands and feet flat on the floor. Then the pelvis is slowly raised as high as possible, with the heels and the hands still firmly on the floor, the head facing the knees.
These great stretch positions should be done several times a day in order to alleviate the pressure, tingling, numbness and pain from sciatica.
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