About 50-70% of pregnant women will suffer from lower back pain during their
pregnancy. Pain due to the sciatica nerve becomes worse during pregnancy, The pain
gets worse because of the position of the baby which rests on the abdomen and the
lower back of the mother's uterus, The main problem with the sciatica nerve during
pregnancy is the pain normally begins at
the buttocks and starts to spread down wards through the back of the thighs reaching the calves and heels. Sciaticais often
caused by damage to a disc leading to inflammation around the nerve or direct pressure
from a prolapsed or "slipped" disc. In some cases, it may be due to compression from
aligament or bone.
Clinical case report---Chang-Po Kuo, M.D
One patient of mine, a 31 year old pregnant woman, did not have back pain or injure
history prior to her pregnancy. In fact, there was no discomfort or any abnormalities
until week 21 of her pregnancy, when she felt a discomfort around the waist area, and
all of sudden the pain worsened and the numbing pain extended from her waist to her
lower left extremity. She could not sit or stand up for extended periods of time,and
weakness in her lower legs made it difficult for her to walk. The doctor told her her
pain was caused by an acute sciatic nerve inflammation,and she was recommended to
take rest and conservative physical therapy treatment.
After she was discharged from the hospital,she decided to receive Enrac CMT. She
came in for CMT about once a week, and the pain was greatly reduced
(from 8+ to a 4 0nVAS pain-level score), but she was still having a twitching pain in her
left leg. She continued the treatments and was able to go back to work after about 6
treatmentsin a span of 3 weeks and after a periodof proper rest at home. Now she is 34
weeks pregnant, and besides some minor discomfort due to pregnancy, her waist and
left-side pain has been relieved, she is now walking normally, and has returned to work.
Discussion
Sciatica is something of a great challenge for both the physician and the pregnant
women. Even though some physiotherapists may suggest manual therapy or the use of
manipulation or a pregnancy support belt, both those methods of treatment usually
produce poor and non-immediate results in pain management.Anti inflammatory drugs
(such as aspirinor ibuprofen) or steroid injections will help relieve pain if sciatica
continues after the woman's baby is born, but they shouldn't be taken during pregnancy
as the side effect of those medications may cause birth defects.In some cases, pressure
on the sciatic nerve may need to be treated with spinal surgery to remove part of the
prolapsed dise and stop it from pressing on the nerve.Those procedures not only
provide more hardship and suffering but psychological trauma. Many pregnant women
therefore have to bear the pain and become reluctant to become pregnant again.
Dr. Ko has devoted 35 years of clinical experience to eliminating the blind spots of
Chinese and Western medicine,giving birth to a medical therapy aimed specifically at
treating intractable pains,known as Ko Medicine. Ko Medicine focuses on vital flow
regulation in its treatments. The four principles of
no medication
no injections
no acupuncture
no contact with painful areas
are coupled with scientific nomenclature of the"pain points" and "pressure points"in
order to treat the patient's pain.
The term "vital flow regulation" refers to the removal of any obstructions to one's
vital flow and the restoration of normal vital flow by the stimulation of various pressure
points. There have been no clinical case reports in the world of Sciatica being treated
with such non-invasive treatment; therefore this has got to be a first! My patient's life is
now back to normal, and she is expected to give birth on March of this year.
