Back pain is a common condition that affects between 50% and 76% of women during pregnancy. As your baby grows, your uterus expands and puts extra pressure on your lower back and pelvic area. At the same time, your body produces a hormone called Relaxin, which helps loosen your joints and ligaments to get ready for childbirth. While this is completely normal, it can also make your spine less stable and more likely to irritate the sciatic nerve.
On top of that, the extra weight, changes in posture and shifting centre of gravity during pregnancy can put additional strain on your back and hips. All of these changes together can lead to the tingling, numbness, or sharp pain down the leg that many pregnant women experience as sciatica.
In this article, we’ll take a close look at sciatica during pregnancy, the key causes and the effect it has on the body. We’ll also outline some effective treatments to help relieve sciatica pain, specifically for pregnant women.
What is sciatica? An overview
Sciatica is a type of nerve pain that happens when the sciatic nerve gets irritated or squeezed. This nerve is the largest in the body and runs from your lower back, through your hips and bottom and down each leg. When it’s affected, you might feel sharp pain, tingling, numbness, or even weakness that travels from your back into your leg. Sciatica isn’t an illness by itself but a sign that something like a slipped disc, changes in the spine, or extra pressure during pregnancy is putting strain on the nerve. Sciatica can affect expectant mothers due to the additional pressure put on the lower back and spine whilst carrying a baby. Thankfully, there are ways in which you can help improve symptoms, which we’ll cover later on this post.
The causes of sciatica during pregnancy
There are a few reasons why sciatica can occur during pregnancy:
- Hormonal changes: During pregnancy, your body makes a special hormone called Relaxin. Its job is to loosen the joints and ligaments in your pelvis so your body can get ready for birth. While this is completely normal, it can also make your lower back a little less stable. When that happens, the sciatic nerve can sometimes get irritated, leading to a shooting pain, tingling or numbness in the leg known as sciatica.
- Pelvic misalignment: When you’re pregnant, the body changes to make space for your growing baby, which can sometimes cause the pelvis to shift slightly out of place. When this happens, it can put extra pressure on the lower back and hips, which may irritate the sciatic nerve.
- Postural changes: As your baby grows, the way you stand and move naturally changes to help balance the extra weight. Many mums-to-be find themselves leaning back a little without even noticing, which can put extra strain on the lower back. This added pressure can sometimes irritate the sciatic nerve and cause the aching, tingling, or shooting pain down the leg.
- Increase blood flow and inflammation: During pregnancy, your body sends more blood around to help your baby grow. Sometimes this extra blood flow can cause a bit of swelling in the lower back or hips. Gentle movement and doing light exercises can help alleviate symptoms. Please ensure you consult your doctor or midwife to ensure these exercises are suitable.
What are the symptoms of sciatica in pregnancy? How do you know if you have it?
- Sharp or shooting pain
Many women describe sciatica as a sudden, stabbing or electric-like pain that starts in the lower back or buttock and travels down the back of one leg. This can make everyday movements, like walking or bending uncomfortable and challenging.
2. Tingling or “pins and needles”
Some pregnant women notice a prickling or tingling feeling, similar to when a limb “falls asleep.” This sensation often runs from the lower back into the leg or foot.
3. Numbness
In some cases, parts of the leg or foot may feel numb or less sensitive, which can make it harder to notice pressure in those areas.
4. Burning or aching pain
Instead of sharp pain, some women experience a deep, aching or burning feeling in the lower back, hip or leg. This discomfort may worsen when standing, sitting for long periods or changing positions.
5. Weakness in the leg or foot
If the sciatic nerve is affected more severely, it may cause weakness in the muscles of the leg or foot, making it harder to move normally or an unsteady feeling when walking.
Safe treatments for sciatica during pregnancy
There are several excellent treatment available for general sciatica but some of them may be unsafe for pregnant women. More invasive treatments such as surgery are also best avoided. Read on for a selection of relatively safe exercises and non-invasive treatments for sciatica during pregnancy.
- Gentle stretches
Aim to stretch frequently to ease tight muscles and relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve. Focus on stretching out the hips, legs and lower back. Watch this helpful YouTube video to learn seven of the best stretches for sciatica.
- Prenatal yoga or light exercise
Low-impact exercises, such as walking, swimming or prenatal yoga keep the body flexible, strengthen supporting muscles and help improve posture.
- Warm compress or warm bath
Apply a warm compress to the lower back or enjoy a warm bath to relax tense muscles.
- Massage therapy
Get a massage from a trained prenatal therapist to help ease muscle tightness in the lower back and hips, improve blood flow and reduce discomfort during pregnancy.
- Pregnancy pillows
Sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees or under your bump can help keep the spine and pelvis in better alignment, easing pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Physical therapy
A physiotherapist trained in prenatal care can teach you safe exercises and techniques to strengthen the back and pelvis during pregnancy.
None X-ray-guided lumbar interlaminar epidural injections
If the above treatments don’t provide relief, your doctor may recommend a non–X-ray guided lumbar interlaminar epidural. The medicine is placed carefully into the lower back to reduce inflammation and ease pressure on the nerves. This procedure can provide effective pain relief but it does carry some minor risks, which is why it’s important to only carry out this procedure through a certified and registered pain doctor. Speak to Dr Dashfield today to see if this treatment can help relieve your sciatica pain.
How can you reduce your susceptibility to sciatica?
Following on from the above list of sciatica treatments, you can also reduce your susceptibility to the condition by focusing on the following during your pregnancy:
- Maintain a healthy weight and nutritious diet
During pregnancy, it’s important to prioritise your well-being, not just for yourself but for your baby too. Aim to eat three balanced meals a day, stay hydrated with 2–3 litres of water and nourish your body with plenty of wholesome, nutrient-rich foods.
- Walking
Walking is a gentle, low-impact activity that’s suitable for everyone. Aim for around 7,000 – 8,000 steps each day at a light to moderate pace.
- Supportive posture
If possible, try tosit with good back support, avoid slouching and focus on sitting upright.
- Support shoes
Aim to wear flat, cushioned and supportive shoes to improve posture and balance. Good, supportive shoes will help take pressure off the lower back.
Treatments to avoid during pregnancy
There are some treatments which aren’t safe to take whilst you’re pregnant. Please ensure you consult a medical professional if you’re unsure if a sciatica treatment is pregnancy-safe.
Medications to avoid:
- Certain antibiotics such as tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and sulphonamides in later pregnancy.
- Isotretinoin (Accutane) which is used to treat severe skin conditions.
- ACE inhibitors & ARBs. These strong blood pressure medications are linked to kidney and skull issues in the foetus.
- Warfarin. It’s a blood thinner that’s associated with birth defects and bleeding risks.
- NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen) shouldn’t be taken during the 3rd trimester due to a high risk of premature ductus arteriosus closure.
Medical and cosmetic treatments to avoid:
- X-Rays and CT scans. Radiation can be extremely harmful to the baby, especially during the early stages of pregnancy.
- Retinoid creams and ointments. Avoid using topical creams such as tretinoin or adapalene during pregnancy.
Experience a more comfortable, pain-free pregnancy with our range of sciatica treatments.
Book a sciatica treatment appointment with Dr Dashfield and receive a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan.
We hope you found our article on sciatica during pregnancy useful. The condition is very common amongst pregnancy woman and there are lots of steps you can take to help reduce and eliminate the impact it has on your daily life. If you’d like to learn more about sciatica during pregnancy, check out the links we’ve provided below. We’ve also listed some helpful products that may be able to help with your condition.
Further reading on sciatica
- https://www.esht.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/0832.pdf
- https://www.ascenti.co.uk/article/sciatica-pregnancy
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/sciatica/pregnancy/
- https://www.webmd.com/baby/what-to-do-about-sciatic-nerve-problems-during-pregnancy
Useful products for sciatica during pregnancy
- Pregnancy pillow
- Pregnancy belt
- Sciatica cushion
- Leg pillow