As most of you know, I’ve been very lucky to have (for the most part) a symptom free pregnancy…so far! Sciatica/ back pain has really been the only on-going symptom to really stick around. I had a doctors appointment yesterday and the doctor was saying because I’m so small, everything inside doesn’t have much room to go anywhere so that is why I’ve been having this back/ sciatica pain. After researching what to do to help alleviate this pain I’ve been doing the following: hot baths/ showers, followed by icing my back, seeing a chiropractor, prenatal massage and today I will be doing my first prenatal yoga! I still have been keeping up with my workouts but just toning it down a little as not to aggravate the back pain even more.
About two days ago I decided to do two things that have drastically improved my back pain.
- Prenatal Yoga- Holy smokes! I never realized how tight my body was until I did a class of prenatal yoga. I’ve constantly been focused on working out and lifting weights that my stretching took a back seat. Even when I would warm up and cool down at MOST it would be 5 minutes. In just two days my back pain has eased up and the pain has been cut in HALF of what it was before. Not only did we focus on stretching but we focused on deep belly breathing. Something I also realized I need to be more away of. I was told I (most of us) breath from our chests and not through our stomach’s. Can I tell you it feels like a whole new world opened up to me once I started that belly breathing. Its calming, relaxing and stress relieving. I recommend you try this even if you aren’t pregnant!
- Prenatal Massage- I’m always a sucker for a massage but I don’t just like any massage. My shoulders and back are always so tight that when I get a massage I like a “hurt so good” massage so I can actually feel like those knots are getting worked out. Boy oh boy did I get that hurt so good massage! My massage therapist worked out all the tension and pain not just from the sciatica pain but also neck, low back and shoulders.
Ladies, I can’t rave or speak more highly of how these two practices DRASTICALLY helped with this sciatica pain. Now while it was very effective the pain isn’t %100 gone. On a scale of 1-10 I am at about a 4 now. (Before the yoga and massage I was at at an 8!). If you have any questions about the specific moves we did please reach out, I would be happy to share!
So in an effort to do anything possible to alleviate that pain, I have found 3 Moves that really have helped me to relieve some of this pregnancy back pain and I want to share them with you!
1.Core Twist
Stand with your left foot on one end of a handled resistance tube, feet wide. Hold the other handle with both hands at chest height in front of you and rotate shoulders to the left.
Pull the band across your body to the right, ending with hands at shoulder height in front of you and torso facing to the right. Return to starting position and repeat.
Do 10 reps, then repeat with right foot on the tube. (If you don’t have a resistance band, hold a 3- to 5-pound dumbbell instead.)
Strengthens: Core (which includes your lower back)
2. Deadlift to Curl
Stand with feet a stride’s length apart, right foot in front of left. Hold a 5- to 10-pound dumbbell in each hand, arms extended at sides. Bend forward from hips, stopping when your back begins to round.
Rise up to starting position and bend elbows, curling weights toward shoulders. Extend arms to starting position and repeat. Do 5 reps, then repeat with left foot in front of right.
Strengthens: Core, hamstrings and biceps
3. Triangle Pose
I hope this insight and back and core moves can help you like it did for me in fighting any back or sciatic pain you have caused by pregnancy! Drop me a comment below or message me and let me know if this helps you or what you have done to overcome your pregnancy pains! Looking forward to connecting with you!
