Sciatica nerve

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Good Morning!
I am 21 years old and 30 weeks pregnant. I am 5’3 and have gained 22-25 lbs during my pregnancy so far bringing me to 177 lbs… I do an average of 15-30 minutes of cardio a day. During my first trimester I expierenced sciatica pain on my right side. Sitting on the floor flaired it up even more.
I now see a chiropractor 1-2 times weekly which relieves the pain for a period of time. I now expierence sciatica pain on my left side rather than the right. Again sitting on the floor flairs it up.
Through out my pregnancy I have been doing gentle modified yoga. Now that I’m in my last trimester I TRY to do atleast a 1/2 hour-1 hour of modified yoga a day. I enjoy doing knee rocking to open up the hip whenever my sciatica is bothering me.

Any other great poses to help open the hips and pelvic area would be greatly appreciated.

#2

Hello Fuzzy,

How wonderful that you are with child. It is a very special time. Bring as much quite, gentle, nurturing energy into your life as you can. Pregnancy is a time for Yin energy and so everything must be “settling”.

Gaining weight is completely appropriate both for conception and growing another human being as you are right now. So do not fret about weight gain as it may feel unnecessary for you but it is absolutely needed for baby. If you have not already begun, please start rubbing olive oil on your belly. If you have a midwife or Doula and are already doing such a thing, follow their direction. Otherwise twice per day with organic olive oil.

Sciatica is a condition where the sciatic nerve is irritated, impinged, or otherwise interfered with. That nerve exits the lower portion of the spine, runs down through the outer buttocks then into the leg. There are two sorts of “sciatica”. One is true sciatica where the interference is at the root of the nerve and thus an issue with the spinal alignment. The other is false sciatica where perhaps another muscle like the piriformis is in spasm and it is impinging the nerve.

I would suggest a few prenatal classes. There are some things that are not advisable when pregnant and it’s best not to guess but to spend some time with one who is trained to guide you.

#3

Well heres the scoop- I moved from California back to Michigan to live with my parents for personal reasons. I am currently out of work (after the baby is born I plan on returing to work) and do not have transportation to the class. (45 minute drive, mother works during that hour…etc.)
I was able to spend two class periods with a trained instructor in prenatal/gentle yoga. She is AMAZING and we still keep in contact although I can not make it to her classes. She has provided me with a book and video for prenatal yoga. I haven’t discussed with her my sciatica nerve, although I know I should have. I’ll bring it up to her next week.

Thank you!

#4

How do you feel about natural avacodo oil for my belly? I use this on my face twice daily and love the results!

#5

How do YOU feel about natural avocado oil?
If it’s organic then it might be fine. I’d have to look at the ingredients to give you a sound answer.

Your scoop is understood.
Yes please, do speak of your sciatic nerve and subsequent [/]sciatica[/i] with your teacher.

#6

I LOVE avocado oil. Ingredients consist of 100% cold pressed naturally refined avocado oil.

#7

Fuzzy, welcome. I had sciatica while pregnant with my first daughter. OUCH. Any posture on hands and knees will help take the pressure off the nerve but will stretch your belly further. (YAY avocado oil!) Don’t do a LOT of inverted poses, but a downward dog or two will help. I think the cow and cat poses might shift that little baby off your sciatic nerve. Give it a go and tell us how it works.

#8

There is no baby sitting on MY sciatic nerve;). And no cat & cow poses are giving me any relief, either, unfortunately.

I started practising asanas on my own, to begin with, and about six months later decided to join our local group. We tend to start with sun salutations - with slight variations, and lots of them. Having a back problem I have found it painful to extend my leg straight behind me. My teacher advised that I kept to the kneeling position ‘until I had gained more strength’. On the whole I have stuck to this but occasionally I would have a go at straightening my leg(s), just to see how I was progressing.
Last week was just such an occasion. Not long after my practise I started to feel that familiar sciatic pain. Next day I found it difficult to do asanas. I thought, gentle twists were called for, but they have not helped either. And the last two days I have been in so much pain that I have been standing a lot rather than sitting down.
Whilst I am very flexible (hypermobile as mentioned when introducing myself more fully), I am no youngster, either, anymore. And, whilst not so long ago I told my daughter ’ never let it be said that there is no new muscle to be had beyond the age of sixty’, there must be a difference between that and the more mechanical structures as for example the spine, especially when there is arthritis as well.
Any advise for elderly ladies like me, please? And what sort of postures should I do/avoid right now to get back to a better state of affairs?
Thank you in advance.

#9

Dear Fuzzy,

I have two pregnant ladies in my beginners class this year. I cannot really help you with advice on your issues, but I would like to suggest that you ask your teacher to show you the Pawanmuktasana Series, which is illustrated in Swami Satyananda’s book: Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha. The whole series is wonderful and I had just so much positive feedback from both preganant ladies so far. Try it, it is gentle and might bring some relief.

What I also can say about the two ladies in my class is that it is very much a question of trail and error, what works for the one doesn’t necessarily works for the other and it takes a lot of time and effort to adjust the asanas to suit both.

Perhaps you can book a separate session with your teacher where the two of you can work with your problems and see what solutions you can find.

#10

Any advise for elderly ladies like me, please? And what sort of postures should I do/avoid right now to get back to a better state of affairs?
Thank you in advance.

Thanks to the overwhelming response, suggestions, ideas, advise received :wink: I now feel better, if not completely back to where I was before this latest episode.
However, I would still like to know if there are any postures that I should avoid, purely from a very practical point of view: I live most of the time by myself, so it is vital for me that I maintain enough mobility coupled with enough ppp (short for physical pensioner power) to see to my garden myself as I can’t afford to pay someone else.
Because of all the bending and squatting I always get into difficulties with my back, that being a major reason why I started doing asanas in the first place. I have included the one where one squats, both with feet together and feet placed hip-distance apart, arms in namasteposition and elbows pressing against knees, thinking it might build up strength in the affected area.
Perhaps it is the wrong idea? I have read somewhere that the Butterfly is not advisable for sciatica, and that is very similar, after all.

(Perhaps I shouldn’t do asanas but learn how to put questions properly.:()

#11

Any advise for elderly ladies like me, please? And what sort of postures should I do/avoid right now to get back to a better state of affairs?
Thank you in advance.

Thanks to the overwhelming response, suggestions, ideas, advise received :wink: I now feel better, if not completely back to where I was before this latest episode.
However, I would still like to know if there are any postures that I should avoid, purely from a very practical point of view: I live most of the time by myself, so it is vital for me that I maintain enough mobility coupled with enough ppp (short for physical pensioner power) to see to my garden myself as I can’t afford to pay someone else.
Because of all the bending and squatting I always get into difficulties with my back, that being a major reason why I started doing asanas in the first place. I have included the one where one squats, both with feet together and feet placed hip-distance apart, arms in namasteposition and elbows pressing against knees (I don’t know the name for these), thinking it might build up strength in the affected area.
Perhaps it is the wrong idea? I have read somewhere that the Butterfly is not advisable for sciatica, and that is very similar, after all.

(Perhaps I shouldn’t do asanas but learn how to put questions properly.:()

#12

[B]Hi fuzzy, [/B]

[B]How wonderful the pregnancy period is!! It is a new life [/B]
[B]Congrats!! And here are some great poses for you:[/B]

[B]Active standing pose[/B]

When you are pregnant, most of the extra weight you carry is all in one place. Since your abdominal muscles (which normally hold your lower torso in place) are missing in action, so to speak, you may develop a swayed back or exaggerated spinal curve. This can cause lower back pain and sciatica. As often as possible, practice this pose to lengthen your spine downward.

Relax and drop your shoulders, though maintain a slight lift to the chest. Stroke your lower back downward with your hands. Slightly drop your chin downward to relax the back of your neck. Breathe slowly for a minute.

[B]Prenatal poses[/B]

The following poses are helpful during pregnancy. For example, poses done while kneeling on all fours will help to relieve hack pain and strengthen hack muscles, which aids labor. Because your pelvic floor supports the weight of your baby during pregnancy, squeezing the pelvic floor muscles (rectal and vaginal) to strengthen them should he done as often as possible, both on and off the mat.

[B]Cat pose[/B]

This exercise brings great flexibility to the spine — including the cervical vertebrae, circulates the spinal fluid, and serves as a great warm-up exercise. For added benefit, at the end of the exhalation gently squeeze your buttock muscles for 1—2 seconds and then release as you inhale.

[B]1:[/B] Begin on your hands and knees with your knees directly under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. The hands, feet, and knees are in line with each other Relax your neck and inhale, keeping your spine in a horizontal position. Do not arch your spine since this can put pressure on the lower back during pregnancy.

[B]2:[/B] As you exhale, lengthen the base of your spine gently downward and tuck your pelvis under so that your back is rounded like that of a cat. Inhale and return to the original position. If you experience pain in the wrists in this position, use your knuckles to support you so that your wrists remain straight.

In addition to that, you need to relax and breathe to feel well
By the way I have a great book about “Yoga Relaxation”, you can get it now its free!!
see my sig file…

Best