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2nd Trimester
Bad siatic pain! Help!
Anyone know of good stretches or what I can do to relieve siatic pain? Thanks!
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Re: Bad siatic pain! Help!
The only one I can think of might be harder if you have a bump in the way. =(
If my right butt sciatic is hurting I do left leg out straigh, right leg crossed over right and twist my body to the left.
Now I don't know how easy that is with a belly in the way. I know a friend of mine that's a therapist told me another really fantastic stretch for that muscle and I'm drawing a complete blank on it.
I sat on heating pads when mine was really bad last PGcy.
I've been going to the Chiropractor for my Sciatic and back pain.
The excersize they gave me is,
lay on back, knees bent, put left foot on the front of right knee, grab your right thigh and pull towards your head, don't bring your head up though if you can help it.
hold this for 30 secs and do the opposite. They told me to do 10 reps I think. It really does help alot but it hurts when you do it and is difficult with the bump, but it does work.
So sciatic pain comes from either a) when the piriformis gets too tight (thats the muscle you are trying to stretch with the knee across the chest thing) or b) when there is movement in your sacraliliac joint (SI joint) or in the low back vertebrae....So best bet is to get the piriformis stretched out and work on some lumbar stabilization: FYI I'm a physical therapist and I'm 17 weeks pregnant with some SI/sciatic pain, so this info is legit and personally tested
To stretch the piriformis:
Either try that pretzel stretch, or better and more effective, get a foam roller (big white foam thing they'll have at the gym or at a sports store) and sit on it, kind of lean back and to the side that hurts, then roll back and forth. It will hurt like a *** for a minute, then subside once the muscle gives a bit.
To stabilize your low back/SIJ:
Combine kegels with a 'transversus abdominus' contraction: the TA muscle is the innermost abdominal that wraps around to your back and acts like a brace. So if that is tight, it will support your low back and prevent movement in the vertebrae and irritation of the sciatic nerve. Your kegel muscles are related neurologically to your TA muscle (as is your inner thigh adductor muscles), so when you squeeze those too, it helps to tighten your TA automatically. So to squeeze your TA, lie on your back if you still can (if not, do sitting up is fine), and contract your abdominals lightly so as to press your low back to the ground. Your hips won't move much (ie. less than a pelvic tilt), but you'll feel a little area by the pointy part of the front of you hip bones tighten up. Do them with your kegels. I do them when I'm driving (ie. every red light) for a few seconds and try to do them throughout the day. Also good to combine when you're doing weights at the gym, if you're using any nautilus equipment or anything.
Hope this helps! I got it wicked bad initiallly around week 7, then again last week, and each time, I just went back to this routine and it helped.
Had this with DD#1 - lay on the opposite side of the pain and have DH (or someone) rub the crap out of your butt, leg and back.
Also, buck up and ask for some Tylenol 3 - magic and safe!
I bought a prenatal yoga tape that really has helped my back.
You could sit in a chair with your legs spread out like a V and reach forward as much as you can- this stretches out those hip joints
(at this stage I can sit cross legged and strech forward but my bump is not that big yet)
The exercises that have been suggested worked for me, but not completely. Try to walk around and not sit or stand in one place for too long. It only really went away when LO seemed to move off the nerve (and on to my bladder...) I am sure it will be back as I get bigger and I will be doing the stretches again.