Anyone else dealing with sciatica?

emw8910

I think that's what this is anyway! I never had it with my other 2.

It's on my right side, it starts in my hip and goes down into my butt, sometimes down the side of my thigh. Its a shooting/achey/stabbing pain and nothing seems to make it better or worse!

Standing/walking hurts so bad so I sit down and it hurts just as bad lol

Anyone else deal with this and have any relief tips? So far Tylenol and heat aren't doing much, TIA!

hcsmiley417

Yes! I've had it with all 4 pregnancies now. And it sucks to have it on top of my back injury. I would not recommend heat as it rushes blood to the area and can actually create more pain. I try to sit with pillows on the pain side, get physical therapy, see the chiropractor, ice it, & my hubby massages it out. Get blood to the area can help heal and alleviate pain by massages you are slowly working it through the area not by heating which rushes all extra blood there. The things we do for our kids! Lol

Mamaduncan

I am! Ugh!! Hurts SO bad. LO lays on my right and this is the side where most of my pain is. Love this princess but damn it Im in pain! (

Saritaota614

https://www.livestrong.com/article/318118-stretches-for-the-sciatic-nerve-in-pregnancy/#page=1

Try some of these stretches.
It helped me the other day.

cookieinva

I love the first two stretches here especially.
https://lowerrightbackpainhq.net/sciatica-stretches/

Athenanolen

I used to have it before I lost a good 30 lbs, and now that I've put some weight back on it's back with a vengeance!

BW1088

I have had a problem with sciatica since a car accident several years ago, but both my pregnancies have aggravated it.    I appreciate the advice of stretching exercises.  I'll have to try those! 

It must be the way I'm carrying this time, but it's definitely not as bad as with DD.  Sometimes I had to have DH help me get out of bed in the morning and it would hurt so bad I'd be crying by the time I sat all the way up.  I found some relief in propping with pillows to sleep.  Wishing you ladies the best and hope your pain stops ASAP! 

TurtleMonsters

I had it before my first pregnancy, and then it just became almost unmanageable by the 3rd trimester. I have it already now, but have had it again, all the years in between my first and this one. I do stretches to help, like the ones mentioned.

Also, if you have a hard ball (tennis, raquet) or other kind of massager- I used a cylindrical wooden foot massager), and you can sit on it and roll the pain out, that would help too. They actually make things for this, my DH has a spikey ball and foam tube thing that works to get knots out of muscles. You can put a couple of tennis balls into a sock too (that is actually a back labor massage thing, but would work for this).

LenaLove

I had it last time, and this time too.  The stretches help a ton, and sleeping with a pillow between my knees makes a big difference.  I also go for monthly massages.  

It gets a lot worse if I spend a lot of time leaning over student's desks, so I have started sitting at a table and making them come to me when they have questions.  Sorry kids

Hope you get some relief!

tealowl

Maybe that's what I have? I've had symptoms like that for awhile, but once I started exercising on the regular, they went away. It's come back now, I'm assuming d/t pregnancy and less exercising. It's a literal pain in the ass.

I need to try these stretches!

Amores0121

yoga for sciatica.  Amberlie Price on Youtube has prenatal yoga and one specifically for this. It helps. Also go to the chiropractor.

emw8910

Thanks guys! It took me several weeks to even realize it could be sciatica but when I started researching it, I'm pretty sure that's what it is. So miserable! I'll def try all of the stretches and yoga! Having a 2 and 1 year old to lug around is not helping lol

Ecomom17

Yup.  Try swimming, it helps me a LOT.  Last pregnancy I went through a bout of sciatica that was so painful I couldn't walk; as soon as I got in the pool it pretty much went away except for twinges here and there.

Also no heat, it will increase circulation/inflammation, and you want to reduce that.  Ice it.  And your OB can always send you to PT/chiro.

I hear ya--trying to carry a 3yo is no good.  I can't lift/carry him much at this point, it kills my back.  Easy enough not to carry a 3yo, but for you a 1 and 2yo definitely need some carrying!  Try to lift with your knees, not your back.

ETA: I mean lift with your LEGS, not knees.  Let's not injure our knee joints, shall we?

alyssa719

I've had horrible sciatica in the past... currently, I seem to be surviving... but I'm prepared with (what PPs have mentioned) being activity, definitely millions of stretches and yoga, and chiropractor.  All of these made such a huge difference before.

mrsburrell5581

I have it as well. Since I have started my second trimester it is much more severe. Seeing my chiropractor 2-3 times a week, really helps more. I was able to stop taking the Tylenol and just see my chiro and use heating pads. It has helped alot