Suffering from Sciatica Pain During Pregnancy?

According to the same research, one-third of pregnant women suffer from severe low back pain, which greatly affects their everyday life. What’s more, around 10% of participants report that low back discomfort interferes with their ability to work and perform daily tasks.

When it comes to sciatica pain, symptoms may vary

When it comes to back pain, symptoms can be very different from person to person. The level of discomfort depends on many factors, such as what the underlying cause is, at which point during pregnancy it happens, as well as your overall health.

In general, the patients that come to our clinic describe the following symptoms:

• Pain that feels like burning in the lumbar region
• Difficulty raising the front part of your foot to walk
• Pain spreading down the thigh and leg, comparable to sciatica – frequently due to lower lumbar nerve impingement.
• Lower back discomfort during sleep or when lying down, due to pressure from the developing fetus.

Sciatica pain can occur for various reasons

During pregnancy, the lower body structure undergoes some significant changes, which can affect women in various ways. Because there are so many variables involved, there can be a variety of reasons that can cause low back pain during pregnancy.

Many of the reasons, particularly those linked to posture, blood circulation, anatomy, and hormones, are well-known and occur naturally throughout pregnancy. To give you some peace of mind, it is worth mentioning that pregnancy-related low back discomfort is rarely severe or life-threatening.

Mechanical imbalance of the low back, particularly in the lumbar spine and pelvic region, is one reason why some women suffer lower back discomfort when pregnant.

As weight and belly size grows, the lumbar spine develops lordosis, a process during which the spine adjusts to the new center of gravity. This often places additional strain on the lumbar joints, ligaments, and vertebral discs.

At Pain Treatment Specialists, treatment options are tailored for the patient

Depending on the stage of the pregnancy, cause of the pain, medical history, how severe the discomfort is, and other factors, treatment options may vary. A skilled sciatica doctor will recommend the options that have a higher chance of improving the patient’s quality of life and will be mindful of both the mother and baby during the diagnosis and treatment stages.

Your doctor will evaluate criteria such as your posture, functional mobility, pregnancy stage, type of discomfort, reflexes, and spine curvature degree to identify the most effective method of treatment.

The therapy for a pregnant patient will focus on promoting mobility and function while also reducing pain. In certain situations, it is recommended that you wait until after the pregnancy to address the underlying source of the pain, focusing only on pain control in the meanwhile.

Medication may not be suited for your condition

 To reduce the risk of harm to the growing fetus, any type of medicine should be used with caution during pregnancy. Fortunately, there are numerous choices that are also safe to use when you are carrying a baby as well.

In any event, it is generally recommended that you consult with your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy, whether supplements or over-the-counter pain relievers.

You can help yourself overcome this

There are certain things you may do at home to alleviate the symptoms of low back pain during pregnancy, but what is or is not suggested in your case should be determined by your doctor. Upon consultation, they may propose the following treatments:

• Swimming, cycling, walking, and other doctor-approved low-impact activities
• Hot and cold patches: every 20 minutes, alternate between using hot and cold patches on the source of pain.
• Pregnancy support belt to aid in improving posture and providing additional support for the spine
• Sleeping on one side, using a pregnancy pillow to support the knees and belly is ideal during pregnancy, as it reduces pressure on the spine

If low back pain becomes a concern for your pregnancy, it is time you schedule an appointment with a board-certified sciatica pain doctor in Clifton. At Pain Treatment Specialists, our team of trained doctors is ready to help you find the best possible treatment plans that do not affect the evolution of the pregnancy. You can find our Harvard-trained sciatica pain doctors in our Clifton clinic, on Route 46E, just past the Ford dealership.