Sciatic Nerve Pain During Pregnancy
Sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy can be extremely painful and create quite a lot of distress for the women who experience it. This pain can linger for quite some time and may eventually develop into a condition known as Sciatica.
Sciatica is a condition that will cause numbness and tingling in the leg. It is brought about whenever there is a compression of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest nerve in our bodies and it provides the feeling in the back of your leg and bottoms of your feet. This is why whenever you have this condition you will feel the pain starting towards the top of your leg and it will gradually move down to the bottom of your foot.
Sciatic Pain During Pregnancy
As your baby is growing, it puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. This pressure is what will eventually cause you to feel this pain, which will happen suddenly and may last for a couple weeks or several months.
Most experts recommend that you do not sleep on the side that you are experiencing the pain as this will just put more pressure on the nerve
You can help relieve this pain by using a heating pad or soaking in warm water. Always be cautious about how hot you allow the heating pad to become and never take a bath in water that is over 100°, as this is unsafe for your unborn baby.
You should also try and keep your feet elevated when possible to take pressure off of the sciatic nerve.
For more advanced cases your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist who will give you a regiment of exercises you can use to help relieve the pain.
Prevention Methods
To help prevent this condition you will want to avoid standing for long periods of time and never lift any heavy object. While this goes a long way towards helping to keep pressure off of your sciatic nerve, many times the condition simply cannot be prevented in some women.
You can take consolation in knowing that once your baby is born this pain will generally go away within a few days or weeks. However, if the pain is still present a couple of months after giving birth, don’t hesitate to contact your doctor.
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