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Sciatica During Pregnancy
What is Sciatica During Pregnancy?Typically, pregnancy related sciatica symptoms will resemble mild to moderate forms of the condition in any other affected patient. There will be pain in the lower back and maybe in between the shoulder blades and in the mid back region. There is likely to be radiating pain in the upper legs, knees, ankles and feet. Some tingling and weakness might exist in the legs, but numbness is especially common in the buttocks and upper legs. Certain positions or activities might make these symptoms far worse, while other positions might provide temporary relief. Some women also experience bladder and bowel related symptoms, such as mild incontinence or constipation, which can make the pain syndrome even more scarier.Sciatica During Pregnancy CausesPregnant women might have back pain due to any of the usual causes demonstrated by any other patient. She might injure her back doing any number of physical tasks or might have a personality type which is prone to psychosomatic sciatica pain. These conditions can affect anyone, pregnant or not… However, there are many circumstances which are pregnancy specific and might increase the chances of suffering sciatic nerve pain during the time carrying the baby:* The baby’s head can create a number of painful conditions if it presses on a nerve or internal organ. This is especially common with a large fetus in a small woman. If the baby’s head presses on the sciatic nerve, symptoms might be mild to excruciating. * The added weight and asymmetrical design of a pregnant woman’s body (front heavy) will exponentially increase the stress on her lower back. This can cause pain or exacerbate pre-existing painful issues. * The hormonal changes in a woman’s body can also enact pain. Pregnancy is a time of great hormonal upheaval and sometimes these changes can be very uncomfortable, especially for women with sensitive systems. * As mentioned many times throughout the site, most sciatica complaints are caused by ischemia, not a spinal structural issue. During pregnancy, the ischemic process is particularly active, due to both physical and emotional sources. The baby’s head can rest on a major blood vessel, literally causing a huge reduction in circulation, especially in certain positions. While this does occur in some women, the majority of patients with pregnancy related ischemia are suffering from symptoms as a direct result of the psychosomatic sciatica process. This is the most common form of sciatic nerve pain in patients of all types. Pregnant women, with their added emotional burdens, are even more prone to experiencing this psychogenic version of radicular pain. Sciatica During Pregnancy AdviceLuckily, most sciatic nerve pain syndromes will end with the birth of the baby. If not immediately, then within several days to weeks after the birth...Diagnosing sciatica in pregnant women is even more difficult than in the general population, due to all the possible causes and complications. Additionally, treatment options are limited, since many, especially pharmaceutical therapy, will also affect the fetus and are therefore inappropriate. Some women might endure continuing back pain after the birth. These instances are usually blamed on a coccyx injury (especially during vaginal birth) or poor muscle tone (muscle laxity due to birth trauma). In my experience, these circumstances do cause pain in some women, but typically resolve within the indicated time frame. For pain syndromes which do not resolve after a pregnancy or worsen, I generally advise to look for a psycho-emotional causation. Remember, psychosomatic sciatica and back pain are the most frequently suffered of all dorsopathy conditions. The emotional costs of bringing a new life into this world might increase the chances for a psychogenic condition to exist or even worsen with time. In these instances, knowledge therapy is the best treatment choice… 10/2/08 Revised 12/12/09
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