Why we get sciatica when Pregnant

I have two main things to say about sciatica and pregnancy.

1. If you get sciatica regularly, then please get help before you're thinking of getting pregnant, as pregnancy may stir the sciatica up.

2. Sciatica in pregnant women usually happens because there is more prolactin in the body and this hormone is what helps open our ligaments and muscles to allow the baby to be birthed. So it's a natural state but because it does make us over flexi the muscles can stretch too far and then tighten back around our sciatic nerve causing us pain and discomfort. From a Chinese Medicine perspective its because of the extra heat in your system from being pregnant and this heat will try to escape out the gallbladder meridian that runs through the side of your body making the muscles tighter.

It's real easy to over stretch, so watch that you don't go too deep at yoga, push that gentle walk to a longer gait or over do physical things.  Lifting heavy objects, toddlers on your hip and even standing or sitting for long periods of time can cause this.  

Things you can do are rolling regularly on a roller through your hip area, lower back and ITB, it's the big tendon running down the outside of your leg from your knee to your ankle. You don't need to go heavy with this either just apply gentle pressure regularly as force usually won't help. Massaging this area plus taking magnesium and placing heat packs on your hips will all help to unwind those tight muscles, this will encourage blood and oxygen into the muscles. Drink around approx 1 1/2 liters of water a day preferably before 3pm so you wont be up all night visiting the toilet. 

Healthy happy pregnancy.

Tabitha