Any Tips to Relieve Bad Sciatica Pain in Late Pregnancy?

Along with all the great advice given before, I will add that your feet are probably poorly supported. There is only one corrective device that I know of that fully supports and corrects all three foot arches, Forward Arch.
I sell it here in Ventura County because it is so instantly successful. I have seen people come in with pain and canes and go out with a smile and no use for the cane. And these folks had been in a bad car crash with a semi.
A lot of education needs to be done to get folks to realize that then entire body depends on the feet. If the feet are off, the every joint above them are off and often hurting.

L. Mac Dougall, Holistic Health Practitioner

1 mom found this helpful

I had a similiar experience too. My doctor recommended floating in a pool. I used a raft that allowed the lower part of my body to be in the water while the rest was above. It was a really great raft and relieved my pain quickly. The floating helps relieve pressure from the spine. I only tried it once and it worked and the pain did not return! Good luck.

I had a terrible time with this as well, but acupuncture gave me relief for about a week at a time and was sooo worth it. As soon as those needles went in, I got relief. At this rate, you would only have to go four times!.. Good luck,
S.

Get some prenatal yoga dvds from your library or amazon used. I swear by them. Also, make for an easy quick drug free labor. Prenatal pilates is good too. However the yoga ones really target your sciatica.

N. -

I had the same issue, and at the recommendation of my OB I went to Women's Physical Therapy, in Santa Monica on Wilshire at 8th. The woman who runs it, Gail (I forget her last name) is superb and really helped relieve the pain through massage and also by giving me exercise that helped alot. She takes insurance and specializes in this sort of thing. That's the only thing that helped me.

Good luck!

CHIROPRACTIC! Instant relief. I kid you not. SO many of us go to chiropractors during our pregnancy. In fact, my chiropractor has 13 patients who are pregnant currently and 5 of them are pregnant with their 4th babies. It made their deliveries quicker, helped the baby get into a better position by getting the pelvis moving properly...and stopped all the unecessary pain. With sciatica, it's usually the sacrum or l5 that needs to be moved back into place.

http://www.icpa4kids.org/why/pregnancy.htm

Here's who I would get adjusted by if I was in Northern Nevada. He's been in practice for over 30 years and a great adjuster.....worth the drive.

Dr. James Hamtak
101 Hot Springs Rd Ste 6F
Carson City, NV 89706
###-###-####

If you want a referral in Reno, I can give you that as well...but I really like Dr. Hamtak.

I had the same problem at the same point in pregnancy. I had to drag my right leg behind me at work! Acupuncture helped it with one session. I went to someone who specializes in pre and post-natal issues. Good luck!

Are you in the Los Angeles area?

Almost all of my clients go to Dr. Berlin's Wellness Center -- the focus of their practice is Prenatal & Postpartum Wellness care and they do massage, acupuncture, reflexology and chiropractic work. They all LOVE him :)

Dr. Elliot Berlin
Berlin Wellness
6221 Wilshire Blvd., #518
Los Angeles, CA 90048
http://www.doctorberlin.com/
###-###-####

Happy Birthing :)

All the best,

T.
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T. H., CD(DONA)
B*E*S*T Doula Service
http://www.bestdoulas.com
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First, I would go the chiro/accupuncture route, it helped me more than anything! Also, Dr. Elliot Berlin, is amazing!!!!!!! (See Tracys post.) Obviously, check with your doctor before taking anything, but I also take a lot of vit B's,omega-3 and magnesium(Thanks Dr. Paul Fleiss). It helps with the pain. The combo kinda caps the nerve endings making the pain more managable. I cant stress enough the need for acupuncture and a good chiro! Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Just fyi - Ice Hot/ Bengay can safely be used during pregnancy and I used it a lot to take the edge off the pain. I hope you find some relief.

spend some time in the pool. you can stretch and relive the weight on it. Get your baby a float boat thing you can move her around in with a shade on top then you can spend time together and get a little relief. this is the only thing that helped mine with all 3 pregnancy s.
good luck!

Go find a chiropractor who has experience treating pregnant women. That is the only way that I was able to releive my sciatica with all three of my pregnancies. Massage was great, but the pain came back. A couple of adjustments and I was good to go for a whole week. I also believe it helped me deliver without drugs. Good luck!

the only thing that helped me was giving birth - so sorry........
It took a little bit for the pain to go away altogether - the baby has been sitting on that nerve for months, and it is inflamed - so it takes a while for it to get back to normal - ask your doc about motrin if you are breast feeding...........

Hi N.,
Acupuncture works for me - I use it for everything. It's great for back pain and won't effect the baby.

Hope this helps.

Hi! Have you contacted your doctor (ob) about this? I had the same thing - with my second pregnancy - ...he 'prescribed' this special thigh high panty hose -it really worked and relieved the pressure/pain .....
Good Luck ....
L.!

Yoga helped me. One pose in particular: the pigeon. There are a few variations but while pregnant the best one is pigeon against the wall. My yoga teacher said it alleviated her sciatica when she was pregnant with her twins and it completely alleviated mine as well. Take a prenatal yoga class and have the instructor teach you how to do the pose properly. Yoga will help your entire body too!

I went to Dr. Amy Friedman, Chiro in Fountain Valley. SHe's awesome! Took all my pain away!

Try Acupuncture - it worked for me - 3 sessions per week for 2 weeks.

there are several homeopathic remedies that can be used for sciatica. the key is to find ONE that YOU need. best would be done by professional homeopath. DIY method is this: select the one that resonates with what is going on with you:
the pain is better when you have access to fresh air and worse in the warm room - Pulsatilla
the pain is better for local application of heat - Mag.phos
the pain is lessened with continued movement, is better for local application of heat and worse in the cold/wet or after washing in cold water - Rhus tox
if you can "peg" yourself in one of these categories, all you have left to do is to drag dear you to Whole Foods and get the one that fits the description above. Do not pay attention to recommendation on the label.
Good Luck, wishing you a quick and easy delivery as well!
V.

Acupuncture also works great for sciatica.

Absolutely. Go to a massage therapist who specializes in either pregnancy massage or maya abdominal massage. You can find a maya abdominal massage practitioner at http://www.fajasdematernidad.com/17369PAN.htm; here are some sites you can check out for pregnancy massage:

http://www.massagetherapy.com/home/index.php

http://www.stressbustersspa.com/1/index.asp?serviceID=6

go see a chiropractor.

stretch those back muscles - look here - http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/overview-sc...

good luck!

Chiropractic care helped me a LOT! You could also use an acccupuncture treatment from someone who specializes in pregnancy. I have a natural parenting store in Fullerton, Belly Sprout, and you can call 9714) ###-###-#### to ask for referrals of practioners. I know of 2 excellent ones in the Fullerton/Brea area.

Belly Sprout offers a lot of classes, workshops and vents so check out our website. We also have natural living products from pregnancy through motherhood for the whole family!

Good luck and Happy Birth!
C. Funk
www.bellysprout.com

I had REALLY bad sciatica pain the last two months of pregnancy. I did water aerobics 3x a week, took warm baths almost daily and that did take some discomfort away for a short time, then I would get a massage about 1x a week, which relieved a little. My doctor prescribed me Tylenol with Codeine, and that really helped take the pain away, and helped me sleep at night too. I pray that you get some relief. I did, only after the baby was born. She must have just been sitting on that nerve.

If you live in Las Vegas. I have a massage therapist who works on my back sciatica pain issues. Her name is Dawn and her number is ###-###-####. She is a miracle worker and not expensive either. Call her.
L.

I had the same problem. I had to find a massage therapist who would do back massages face down (he had a foam thing with a whole for the belly) at my home every 2-3 weeks so I could walk. It also helped to bend over. Something I learned in the hospital class I took was to have my husband press on the front my knees (toward you) when I was sitting on a chair. That helped to release the pressure for a moment.

find a chiropractor who has worked on preg women

i had the same thing and acupuncture cured me instantly. i was so bad i walked into the office bent forward.

I don't know where you live, but I went to a great chiropractor in Santa Clarita when I was pregnant for the same problem. If you are anywhere near here, his name is Dr. Chace Unruh. Here is his website address http://www.unruhchiropractic.com/.
My OB recommends him to all of his patients who have back problems. It was great and I only needed to see him a couple of times before I delivered and then a couple of times after.
If you don't live near here, call your OB to see if they recommend any chiropractors in your area. Good luck.

look for the yoga DVDs for pregnancy...they are gentle & you can do them your toddler running around

I liked the chiropractor.

I would recommend a chiropractor. Not sure where you live, but I saw and continue to see Dr. Cherie Smith in Encinitas at Back to Balance Family Chiropractic. ###-###-#### and www.drcheriesmith.com She is out of the office until next Monday, however you can call and leave a message for an appointment. She really helped me with my pelvic pain when I was pregnant. Best wishes..

Find a GREAT chiropractor that works with pregnant Momma's. You won't regret it!!

Congrats!
M.

OK, I have a really bizarre solution. I have had horrible sciatica since I broke my back in highschool. A few months ago, my chiropractor did a simple thing that my husband now does for me whenever I need it. I lie on my back with my knees up, feet flat on the floor or bench or table or where ever. I squeeze my knees together. My husband puts his hands inside my knees (careful - don't want to hurt the knees!) and quickly jerks them apart. Not too far, just an inch or two, it's the sudden move that makes it work. Usually it cracks my inner thigh or pelvic bone and I get tremendous relief. Sometimes I only get a little relief, but it always helps. When he's not home, I use the Suzanne Somers thigh master for a couple of squeezes and if my inner thighs crack, I get some relief (but not as effective) I know it sounds crazy and a little obscene, but it works! Good luck.