10 Dec 2011

Pregnancy and Sciatica Exercises


Sciatica can develop without any prior warning when a woman is pregnant. Commonly sciatica develops in the calf muscles and buttocks of pregnant women. Due to pressure on the sciatic nerve, pain can develop at any given time although is mostly prevalent during the third trimester of pregnancy. Due to the unborn child growing rapidly pressure on the spine becomes more prevalent. Professionals usually do not prescribe medications for the pain and recommend exercises.


If you are pregnant and develop sciatica symptoms then you can relieve the pain and pressure by participating in sciatica exercises. On the other hand there are several treatment and exercise options for those that are not pregnant. One can obtain over the counter pain killers as well as home remedies which can be used to relieve sciatic nerve pain. However, these analgesics and home remedies can only be taken for short periods of time.

One of the very ways of ensuring that you strengthen your lower back muscles is to participate in sciatica exercises on a daily basis. A physical therapist will work out an exercise protocol to suit your specified needs and these exercises can be done in the comfort of your home. However, when you start these exercises one should make an effort to perform them on a daily basis in order to be effective. When you suffer from sciatica pain you need to concentrate on building core muscle strength which in turn will give the spine support.

For instance sciatica exercises such as squat exercises help to strengthen the lower back muscles. When doing a squat exercise you need to stand in front of a chair with your feet apart. Squat down until your hands are at the level of the chair. Only use your ankle joints when moving and let the chair take your body weight.

Then transfer your weight from the chair back to your feet. Make sure the movement is focused on the hips and not on your lower back. This is a very simple but very effective exercise and one can repeat this exercise during the day, and can also be performed in the office.

Other effective sciatica exercises such as the chest lift which is simple and easy to perform just requires you to lie face down on your tummy, place your hands alongside your chest and then slowly and gently lift the chest from the ground. Hold the position for a few seconds and then retain your original position face down.
If you want to learn more about sciatica treatment, please visit the sciatica website for you.

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