Are you pregnant and experiencing back pain that starts in your buttock and shoots down your leg? You might have sciatica. Since you are expecting a baby, you probably want to avoid taking pain relievers. Fortunately, our Naperville chiropractor provides drug-free treatment for sciatica pain during pregnancy to help you feel more comfortable throughout your pregnancy.

If you experience back pain during pregnancy, you are not alone. Anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of all women will experience some type of back pain during pregnancy. Some cases of backaches during pregnancy are the result of weight gain, hormone changes, and posture changes. Many pregnant women experience a particular type of back pain, known as sciatic nerve pain or sciatica.

What is Sciatic Nerve Pain?
Sciatic nerve pain is a special type of pain that begins in your butt and goes down your leg. Sciatic nerve pain is the result of pressure on the sciatic nerve, which starts in your lower spine and branches off down each leg all the way down to your foot. It connects your spinal cord with your leg and foot muscles – it delivers messages back and forth between your foot and your brain.

The nerve roots that exit your spine to form the sciatic nerve are very sensitive. Any pressure on the nerve can cause severe sciatica. Since it is the largest nerve in the body, it is not surprising that pressure on the sciatic nerve causes a great deal of pain.

Overview of Sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy
Sciatica is most likely to develop in your second or third trimester, as your growing baby puts pressure on your sciatic nerve. Your uterus rests on the muscles of your pelvic floor and lower back. The weight of the baby inside your uterus causes tension in these muscles, causing them to swell and press against the sciatic nerve to cause pain.

Symptoms of Sciatica
Sciatica causes a sharp, shooting pain that goes from the buttocks down to your leg. Other symptoms of sciatica include a “pins and needles” sensation, numbness, weakness or, in some cases, a prickly sensation. You may experience weakness or numbness when you move the affected leg or food.

Symptoms of sciatica usually affect only one leg but they can sometimes affect both legs. Sciatica nerve pain may make it hard to stand up or walk.

Pregnancy Chiropractor Suggests 3 Ways to Manage Sciatica during Pregnancy without Drugs
While pregnancy is a wonderful time, our prenatal chiropractor understands that pregnancy can also be uncomfortable. If you are like many expectant moms, you may want to avoid taking any type of pain reliever – even an over-the-counter analgesic – because you are worried about the potential harm drugs can do to you baby. Our pregnancy chiropractor would like to suggest these three ways to manage your sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy.

1. Chiropractic care
A pregnancy chiropractor provides chiropractic care that helps bring your spine back into proper alignment and reduces or eliminates your sciatic pain. Chiropractic care during pregnancy enhances communication between your brain and your feet.

2. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that involves the placement of super-fine needles to enhance the flow of qi, the Chinese word for “physical life force.” Placement of acupuncture needles improves blood flow to the uterus, which may improve your health and the health of your unborn child.

Acupuncture is safe during all phases of your pregnancy.

3. Massage
Therapeutic massage melts away any muscle tension on the pelvic floor or upper legs that could be irritating the sciatic nerve to cause pain. The American Pregnancy Association says that many women experience a significant reduction in their sciatic nerve pain after undergoing therapeutic massage.

Massage also alleviates the effects of stress that many women experience during pregnancy – bringing a child into the world is wonderful, of course, but it can also be stressful. Furthermore, therapeutic massage can reduce back pain, ease joint pain, improve circulation, shrink swelling, melt away muscle tension, alleviate headaches, calm stress and anxiety, bolster the absorption of oxygen into soft tissues and muscles, and even help you sleep better.

---

Schedule an Appointment With Your Local Chiropractor in Naperville, IL
If you are pregnant and are experiencing sciatica pain, make an appointment with Symmetry Chiropractic & Acupuncture. Our prenatal chiropractor has helps women prepare for childbirth and reduce pain during pregnancy. Symmetry Chiropractic & Acupuncture is located at 24115 W. 103rd St. Suite A in Naperville, IL. Make your appointment with our pregnancy chiropractor by calling 630-983-1805.