Siatica And Leg Cramps Arghhhh
6 Replies
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So....I thought I had pulled a muscle in my right buttock. I have been experiencing a piercing chronic pain up my right buttock into my back and then down my leg for 6 days. It has made it difficult for me to walk at times because of the pain. I have not told my OB yet but..I mentioned it to my Mother and she told me it sounds like siatica or pressure on the siatic nerve. After looking through one of my pregnancy books I realized that "yes" this is exactly what I have. I will call my doctor on Monday..in the meantime I have been putting on a methol heat up type gel which seems to alleviate some of the pain. I read there are certain excercises and to sleep with a pillow between my legs..( I have been doing that anyways) as well as trying to sleep on my left side. I had my man massage the area which seems to help a bit too! But the pain still remains. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this during pregnancy..and how long it lasted for them..also what natural remedies can they suggest? One more thing I have been getting leg cramps at night and my feet "lock" this too is very uncomfortable..what can we do for this??
Ahh the joys of pregnancy...Any advice would be appreciated.
Kristin :)
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Hi Kristin... Welcome to one of the wonders of pregnancy! With my both pregnancies I had sciatica pain. I got an appt with a physical therapist the second pregnancy, but I can tell you in advance nothing will cardinally help until your little one is out. The main thing that the therapist suggested was stretching the b___tock muscles the sciatica goes through. It helped a little. With the growing belly in the way, the method is to sit on a chair, put your ankle on the other knee and bend forward a little. For me the pain would go up the side and down the leg, too. The worst was driving, and as I had to drive at times for 2 hours, or 4 hours if we did fast round trip, the trembling of the gas pedal would stir the nerve in the leg, and so impossible it was that I'd switch the foot and drive with my left foot on the gas pedal. Imagine a big bubble belly and left leg stretched across to reach gas :-)))
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Kristen...for the sciatica...try getting on all fours and rocking back and forth and even hunching klike a cat and reverse like a cow (yoga moves) As for the lef cramps...stay hysrated and eat a banan or 2...it will help but may not cure
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Hi Kristen, For the leg cramps stay hydrated. As well, I have heard and not sure if its an old myth-- is calcium. Some say cramping legs and feet are due to that. Best of luck,l
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Hi Kristin, if chiropractic visits are covered by your insurance, I highly recommend you find a chiropractor soon and find one that incorporates ma__sage therapy as part of the chiropractic treatment. I've been seeing a chiropractor regularly and he has 3 awesome ma__sage therapists that like physical therapists, sometimes put you through a bit of pain in order to work out a kinked up and knotted up muscle. The chiropractor manipulates your spine to relieve pressure from pain-causing nerves (like your sciatic nerve). Chiro guaranteed I would not have any sciatica problems since I see him every two weeks but I still get some lower back pain (above my left hip) from time to time. Last week the ma__sage therapist was digging into my glutes with her knuckles (while I was lying on my side) and it hurt a little (good hurt) but afterwards my muscles were so relaxed. A regular swedish ma__sage won't do, chiropractic manipulation of your spine combined with ma__sage therapy and exercise should help it out and yoga stretches like Christa says. I know you go to the gym and workout but, while you're flared up rest is best yet exercise really is key once you feel better because I noticed there were two days where I had to sit at my desk all day and ouch my lower back hurt!!! Now I make sure to get up and take at least a 20 minute walk in the middle of the day. Good luck finding some relief.
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Oh and about locking up feet. . .mine used to do that all the time pre-pregnancy. In my case, it was a problem of poor circulatin and low levels of pota__sium and calcium. I started a daily mult-vitamin, a banana (pota__sium rich) per day, and more regular exercise to get my blood flowing plus a calcium supplement. Don't ignore the cramping problem though, my doctor's office warned that persistent leg cramping meant there could be a slight possibility of a blood clot.
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Hi Girls, Thankyou for the advice. My doctor is on holidays for two weeks so I could not get any solid advice from him. I am not covered for any chiropractic message so I would have to pay out of my pocket. I am very active.. I work out atleast 3 times a week and always have in this pregnancy. I am drinking lots of milk, eating cottage cheese and yogurt. I also have bananas almost every day. Of course I am taking my multivitamin..I doubt I am deficient in these areas. I am very slim other than my pregnancy weight. However, I will not discount anything..I am concerned the cramping could lead to clotting yikes..so thankyou Perl for that warning. I have no swelling in my ankles or legs to speak of..and I have never had any circutaion problems in the past other than what could quite possibly be happening to me now. I will try to stay more hydrated and will do the excercises suggested. I am doing quite alot of yoga cat stretches already..but more may be the key. I was in so much pain this morning I could barely walk down my stairs. I am just hoping I can get a handle on the sciatica so I am not suffering for the remainder of this pregnancy. Thankyou Again Christa, Perl, lovemy3 and in the woods for help and concern. Kristin
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