Pregnancy: the perfect recipe for sciatica

Let’s find out why sciatica is so prevalent in pregnancy. The spine of a heavily pregnant woman is quite precarious- there is already the added weight of the fetus which simultaneously causes a forward shift in her center of gravity, the first step to destabilizing the spine. While her abdominal muscles are strained in front, it is likely that the remaining core stabilizing muscles are weakened because activity levels are low. With the due date so close, pregnancy hormones have kicked into high gear, loosening the pelvic ligaments and causing instability at the base of the spine. With an imbalanced pelvis, and misalignment in the sacrum, nerve impingement becomes much more likely, and one of the most frequently affected nerves is the largest in the body: the sciatic nerve. 

How chiropractic helps fight sciatica during pregnancy

We focus on specific sacral adjustments and restoring pelvic stability in order to restabilize the base of the spine and alleviate the potential for nerve impingement. Once alignment and balance is in place, we can use gentle stretching and strengthening to reduce strain in the musculature and increase its supportive ability. We then go a step further by providing soft tissue therapy in the form of massage which helps increase circulation in the embattled region. We like to think of this as the most effective, all-natural way of dealing with sciatica during pregnancy. If you want to find out more, please don’t hesitate to give our office in Hackensack a call to schedule an appointment today.