Sciatica in pregnancy

Pregnancy causes a variety of changes to happen to your body as your baby grows and develops. Some of these changes could increase your risk of developing sciatica. These include:

• Slipped or herniated disk
• Water retention
• Weight gain
• Uterus expansion
• Changes to your center of gravity
• Your baby’s head resting on your sciatic nerve.

Although sciatica can happen at any point in your pregnancy, it usually occurs in the third trimester. This is when you will experience the most change to your body.

You can speak to your midwife or GP, if your sciatica is making it difficult to carry out normal tasks or is causing severe pain.

To help alleviate the pain of sciatica, you can:

• Avoid standing for long periods. Standing for too long can put pressure on your sciatic nerve and worsen your pain. Take time to rest to help ease your pain.
• Start swimming. Swimming is a great activity for a variety of reasons. The water can help support your weight, so you relieve the pressure on your sciatic nerve.
• Sleep on the opposite side to your pain. Sciatica typically only affects one side of your body. To avoid compressing or irritating your sciatic nerve as you sleep, you should try sleeping on the side of your body that isn’t affected.
• Use a pregnancy support pillow. A sleeping aid like a pregnancy pillow can help in making sure that your pelvis is in the right position as you lay down. This can help you avoid trapping or compressing your sciatic nerve.