Sciatica, which is an inflammation of the sciatic nerve, is very common during pregnancy. Symptoms may include radiating pain up and down your leg and muscle weakness. Because of the shift in posture as well as anatomical changes that happen along the way, the sciatic nerve can easily become irritated while you are just completing your everyday activities. This can impact your comfort as well as your quality of life. Here are some ways that may help relieve some of your sciatic pain:
Use arch support
The sciatic nerve runs from your lumbar spine to the bottoms of your feet. If you are someone who has collapsing arches, you might benefit from an inserted arch support in their shoes to decrease traction and stretching of the nerve to help calm it down.
Adjust your posture
During pregnancy, our center of gravity shifts forward as well as our weight putting increased tension on the sciatic nerve. Focus on shifting your weight back towards your heels as well as shifting your head to be more in line with your shoulders and hips.
Massage your calves and hamstrings
Sciatica can be caused from tightness of the hamstrings or calf musculature because the sciatic nerve runs through these areas. Massaging these muscles can help them relax and decrease pressure on the nerve.
Get up and move
Incorporating exercise into your pregnancy such as walking, mobility work and resistance exercise has been proven to decrease sciatic nerve pain. Don’t forget about your warm-up and your cool down!
Floss your nerves
Nerves can easily get trapped or become limited in their mobility if a muscle is restricted or tight. Nerve flossing or gliding is designed to gently mobilize nerves through their canals to reduce pain, tingling or numbness.
To find out more on how to “floss” your nerves and decrease your sciatic nerve pain, contact us today for a free Physical Therapy consultation!