Pregnancy is often associated with many problems like nausea, vomiting, swelling etc but one of the most difficult problems to manage during pregnancy is sciatic pain. Many pregnant women may suffer from a pregnancy related condition called sciatica and will find it difficult to sit as there would be an excruciating pain in the lower back while sitting.

Sciatica is caused due to the inflammation or pressure exerted on the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve is the nerve that runs from the lower back of the body and travels down through the back of the legs and supply the feet. This vein helps a person to feel the sensation in the legs and make them move the muscles of the legs.

Sciatica is not necessarily due to the pressure exerted by the growing baby in the uterus on the sciatic nerve rather it is the result of the damage that happens to a disc in the spine. If the disc is slipped out of the spine then it may either cause inflammation to the tissues walling the sciatic nerve or they compress the nerve resulting in exerting pressure directly on the nerve.

During pregnancy the change in posture and weakness of the abdominal muscles add strain to the back and pregnant women become more prone to back injuries like slip disc leading to sciatica. The release of hormones during pregnancy makes the joints soft and more prone to injuries especially back injuries.

Usually sciatica develops during the second or third trimester of pregnancy and most of the pregnant women having sciatica develop pain or tingling in their legs and back. Sciatica is often accompanied by paralyzing numbness or shooting pain especially on the lower back, buttocks or on the back of the thighs and may even experience numbness in the groin and genital region and it may be difficult to urinate or to have a bowel movement. The pain associated with sciatica aggravates while walking, bending, lifting etc. In certain cases sciatica pain and the discomforts gets cured on its own but in certain others it require treatment.