Many moms develop a condition called Sciatica after giving birth. It is also caused by standing incorrectly or holding a kid that is too heavy for too long. It may not feel that alarming at first but if the pain persists it can be quite disabling over the long term.
Sciatica pain is sometimes also known as 'stabbing leg pain' or 'down the leg pain.' The misery is caused by the irritation of major sensory pathway known as the sciatic nerve. This is the longest and largest nerve in the body. It roots in the lower spine area and branches out into the leg and foot. When this nerve is afflicted it is rated as being one of the most painful of human sufferings.
There are many possible causes of sciatic including infections, tumors, pregnancy, arthritis and tissue swelling. Nearly ninety percent of cases of sciatic are caused by pinched spinal nerves caught between misaligned vertabrae or by herniated disks. Fortunately this condition generally responds very well to chiropractic treatments.
Sciatica initiates when a spinal disk herniates or there is misalignment of the lower back vertabraes. They can cause pinching or irritation of nerves in the lower spine and this in turn can cause pain in the foot, calf, thigh, hip, buttocks and back. Even the most minimal of movements can bring on harsh pains. All it can take is bending over, a slight turn or a misstep to trigger agonizing pain.
However before sciatica becomes chronic that body often sends out clear signals that sciatica might be the problem. Often low back pain, discomfort or stiffness is present before there is an attack of sciatic. The pain often starts of as milder and comes and goes so it is not that alarming at first. However you might notice that activities such as bending, lifting or turning can cause it to get worse.
It is not a good idea to wait for the pain to get really bad before seeking help. You should see a chiropractor once you detect even the mildest of symptoms. The good news is that even when the pain is caused by a herniated disc the pain of sciatica can be substantially relieved by even a minimal chiropractic treatment.
A short term solution for coping with this type of pain might be to sleep with a full-length body pillow. This helps relieve any pressure on the nerve endings that might be causing the sciatica pain in the first place.