Sciatica in pregnancy

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What is sciatica?


Most cases of sciatica happen when inflammation or pressure from your back makes your sciatic nerve painful (Valat et al 2010, NICE 2015). It's usually caused by a slipped or injured disc in your spine (NICE 2015).

Sometimes, the way the nerve works can be affected, giving you weakness or pins and needles in your leg. You can have sciatica with or without backache and it can send pain down one of your legs (NICE 2015).

Am I more likely to get sciatica if I’m pregnant?

No, you are not more prone to sciatica if you are pregnant. During pregnancy, you may feel aches and pains in your pelvis and back, but these are unlikely to be related to the sciatic nerve. They are more likely to be caused by pelvic girdle pain (PGP), which is much more common and has some of the same symptoms as sciatica.

Sciatica is not caused by your baby pressing on a nerve. It is most often caused by damage to a disc in your spine leading to swelling around the nerve (NICE 2015, Valat et al 2010).

Pregnancy itself does not put you at greater risk of damaging a disc in your spine (NICE 2015). Heavy lifting and activities that make your whole body vibrate, such as operating machinery, are the most common triggers for sciatica (NICE 2015).

You're unlikely to be doing the kind of heavy-duty work that causes sciatica while you're pregnant. That's another reason why it's more likely for PGP to be causing your aches and pains.

However, sitting for long periods and poor posture can lead to sciatica, so that's another good reason to stay active during pregnancy.

How will I know if I have sciatica?

You will have a shooting, burning pain that comes and goes, and often affects just one side. You may feel pain in your lower back, at the back of your thigh and down the outer side of your calf to your foot and toes (NICE 2015). If you have lower back pain too, the pain down your buttock and leg usually feels worse than the lower back pain (NHS Choices 2014, NICE 2015).


How is sciatica treated?

See your GP or midwife and ask to be referred to a musculoskeletal physiotherapist. Ask if you can see a physiotherapist who specialises in women’s health.

Your physiotherapist will show you exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor, tummy muscles and back. She will also show you ways to improve your posture. She may want to keep an eye on you throughout your pregnancy to check the function of your nerves.

About half of people with acute sciatica feel better within 10 days to two weeks, and most (75 per cent) recover within four weeks to 12 weeks (NICE 2015). But for some people the symptoms can remain for much longer (NICE 2015, Valat et al 2010).

You can take paracetamol to ease sciatica pain, though there’s not a lot of evidence to suggest that it’s an effective painkiller (NICE 2015, Moore et al 2015). Your doctor or a pharmacist can advise how much to take and for how long if you do want to take some. It's best not to take ibuprofen during pregnancy, particularly if you are in the third trimester (NHS Choices 2014, NICE 2013).

You can take paracetamol to ease sciatica pain (NICE 2015). Ask your doctor or a pharmacist about how much to take and for how long. Your doctor will probably advise you not to take ibuprofen during pregnancy, particularly if you are in the third trimester (NHS Choices 2014, NICE 2013).

Other therapies you could try include acupuncture, osteopathy and chiropractic (Randall 2014), although there is a lack of evidence about how helpful they are for sciatica (NICE 2015).

If you opt for a complementary therapy, make sure that you see a registered practitioner who is experienced in treating pregnant women.

Are there any self-help tips I can follow?

  • With your skin protected by a flannel or cloth, apply a heat or an ice pack to the painful area to help reduce the pain. Alternating between warmth and cold helps some people.
  • Keep as active as possible, as this will help you to recover. As you try to do your normal activities, it's all right to feel a bit of pain, provided you pace yourself.
  • Watch your posture and try to keep your back slightly arched. When sitting, use a small bolster cushion or a rolled-up towel behind your back to support your spine.
  • Try not to lift anything heavy. If you do have to lift something, bend from your knees and keep your back straight. Keep the object you're lifting close to your body.
  • Listen to your body and stop doing whatever makes your pain more severe.
  • Try not to stay still for long periods. Resting in bed for longer than short periods is unlikely to help.
  • Use pillows or cushions between your knees when sleeping on your side.
  • (NICE 2015)

As jarring of the spine may make your pain worse, you could try wearing softer shoes.

How will sciatica affect my labour?

Some labour positions may set off sciatica pain, so ask your physiotherapist for advice. Using a birth pool can be helpful, as it will make moving easier.

Will sciatica make caring for my baby harder?

As with any back condition, you'll need to look after your posture (NHS Choices 2014, NICE 2015). When breastfeeding, try out different positions.

Try lying on your side, with your painful side up. This relieves the pressure on your spine, which can help sciatica to get better. Laid-back breastfeeding may help too, as your baby is supported on your body. If you prefer to breastfeed in a sitting position, sit on a straight-backed chair. Raise your baby to your breast with a pillow or cushion and keep your feet flat on the floor.


If you've previously had surgery for a slipped disc and have sciatica during pregnancy, you may still have it when your baby is six months old (Berkmann & Fandino 2012).


More tips and advice:
Last reviewed: July 2015
Next review: July 2018


Berkmann S, Fandino J. 2012. Pregnancy and childbirth after microsurgery for lumbar disc herniation. Acta Neurochirurgica 154(2): 329-34


NHS Choices. 2014. Can I take ibuprofen when I'm pregnant? NHS Choices, Common health questions. [Accessed July 2015]

NICE. 2013. NSAIDs: prescribing issues. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clinical Knowledge Summaries. [Accessed July 2015]

NICE. 2015. Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Clinical Knowledge Summaries. [Accessed July 2015]

Randall S. 2014. Osteopathy: helping pregnant women in pain. Practising Midwife 17(5): 38-41

Steel A; Adams J; Sibbritt D, et al. 2012. Utilisation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners within maternity care provision: results from a nationally representative cohort study of 1,835 pregnant women. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 12(146) [Accessed July 2015]

Valat JP, Genevay S, Marty M, et al. 2010. Sciatica. Clinical Rheumatology 24(2): 241-52


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I'm 32 week now and I first experienced sciatica when I hit my 30 weeks. It started as a small pain in my back and then one night it just became a sharp throbbing pain in my hip and went all the way down to my left leg. It freaked me out because it was so bad and I couldn't walk and I couldn't feel comfortable in any position. The first week was just painful. I went to my doctor and she showed me some stretching exercises to relieve the pain and it helped. I know it's very uncomfortable and annoying but it gets better with stretching and sleeping on the opposite side of the pain. I still have the pain but it's not as bad as it was.
I'm 40weeks today and had this pain now for three days, along with suffering from Pelvic Girdle Pain since week 18. I am so fed up and I feel so frustrated. Everyone is telling me to keep active, go for a walk and all the usual stuff to bring on labour but it's just impossible cos I'm in agony. I'm losing my temper with my husband and I've just had enough. I just want this baby out now as I've had enough.
I'm 20 weeks pregnant and keep getting horrible pains in the left side if my bum and into my leg I was sat onthd floor today and the pain was really bad and sharp has anyone else had the same or a clue what it is plz xx

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