Help with pregnancy induced sciatica!!?

I am 26 weeks pregnant and during the early weeks I began to suffer slight back pain, now it is progressively worse. I was diagnosed two months ago with "a touch of sciatica" since then I feel it is much worse. I walk for exercise, but now I I hobble, ( I walked 5 miles yesterday, I try to get 15 miles a week and I want to be in shape for labor ) I cannot stretch,enough , it hurts so much, a sharp pain in my lower lower back almost my bottom. What can I do? I rested today but there is no improvement in the pain. If I sit too much my feet and ankles swell and I hobble, if I exercise I hobble. (my OB warned me about deep vein thrombosis so I need to stay active) Please only helpful responses, I don't need to be welcomed into the "wonderful world of pregnancy" no sardonic responses please!

Aimee,

Don't wait to see a chiropractor until after you give birth, go now. The first respondent has it kinda right. The growing uterus can cause some irritation to the lumbo-sacral plexus (which becomes the sciatic nerve), but it does not do this directly. Your growing uterus is putting strain on your round ligaments which suspend your uterus in your pelvis. These ligaments attach to your sacrum and contribute to aberrant biomechanics in the pelvis. You are doing the right thing with all of the exercise. I think it's true that it might be a little overkill if you're only interested in avoiding thromboembolism, but like you said, you want to be in shape for the delivery. This is particularly true if you are going to go all natural (a wise choice by my estimation).

I would suggest finding a chiropractor in your area that has experience with pregnant patients. I can't imagine one who wouldn't. Better yet, find one who does a technique called Webster. Webster is a technique that is specially designed for pregnant women. It will change your life!!

good luck and congrats

You don't need to walk 5 miles a day to keep from getting a blood clot, simply placing your feet on the floor and flexing your calf muscles will keep the blood moving and when you sit elevate your feet in a recliner and a pillow. Unfortunately the sciatica will probably not get any better until after you have the baby. It is caused from the enlarged uterus pressing on the sciatic nerve which runs from your lower back through your butt cheek and down your leg. Try a heating pad, this relieved my sciatica somewhat when I was pregnant. I will warn you that if it doesn't resolve after you give birth (mine didn't) go see a chiropractor. I spent almost a year post pregnancy in and out of the doctor's office trying to figure out why I had this continual leg pain. They checked for blood clots and had me on Darvocet for the pain. One day I fell on the ice and broke my tailbone and the nerve pain then got worse so the doc sprung my pelvis and that ended my sciatica. He said it's common for the pelvis to dislocate during childbirth and that's what was causing my sciatica to continue. Good Luck and congratulations on the new baby!

SEE A CHIROPRACTOR
Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.