The relief and treatment of pregnancy nerve pain can be found in several different forms, including physical therapy and massage therapy. Certain over-the-counter pain relievers may also help to reduce pain and inflammation caused by the nerves. Heat, ice, and other treatment options may be recommended by a pregnant woman’s doctor in order to relieve a pinched nerve as well.
Nerve pain during pregnancy is often the result of a pinched sciatic nerve. This nerve stretches from the lower part of a person’s back down the back of the legs and all the way to the feet. It can become pinched and inflamed when excess pressure is placed on it or an injury occurs. Pregnancy nerve pain is often due to a growing baby pressing on this particular nerve.
Pressure from the growing fetus is not always the reason for nerve pain during pregnancy. Those who are pregnant are more apt to suffer from spinal disc injuries, which can trigger pregnancy nerve pain. Inflammation and pressure develop in the tissues around the disc, which will then place pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Many women find that physical therapy and exercises that are recommended by a doctor greatly help to relieve pregnancy nerve pain. Activities such as swimming often help to reduce the inflammation and pain. Certain exercises may not only bring relief to a pregnant woman, but may also strengthen the muscles of the woman’s pelvic region. This also may prove helpful when it is time for the woman to give birth.
Women may also find that treatment by a chiropractor or a massage therapist will help relieve pregnancy nerve pain. Massaging the sore area may help to eliminate or reduce the amount of inflammation that is present and may ease the pain associated with the damaged or pinched nerves. Most general medical practitioners recommend that women who wish to see chiropractors or massage therapists make sure that they have a working knowledge of how to correctly deal with pregnant patients.
Pregnancy nerve pain that is not severe enough to require the use of physical therapy, massage, or a chiropractor may be dealt with using other methods. A doctor may advise a woman to apply heat or ice to the affected area. He may also advise the pregnant woman to lay on the opposite side of the pain, to avoid lifting objects that weigh too much, and to try not to stay on her feet for long periods of time.