Pain in the Rear

What to Expect warned me that back pain would start in the fifth month. So I was not surprised when the minor aches started. But I  sure wasn’t prepared for the sharp, shooting pain near the base of my spine, but just to the right.

This “pain in the rear” usually starts around mid-afternoon and gets worse until I finally lay down at night. It is aggravated any time I put pressure on my right leg, when I try to stand up or sit down, or when I try to bend at the waist. It shoots up and down my back (and down into my rear end!) in a straight line and it is a bit tender to the touch. Some days I hardly feel it. Other days I can hardly walk.

My immediate thought was, “Oh, this must be that Sciatica that everyone talks about.” One of my friends confirmed it. She experienced it with her first pregnancy. And it’s in the book, after all.

But then I read this article, that says sciatica actually rarely occurs in pregnancy and that the cause is most likely Pelvic Girdle Pain, also called Sacroiliac Joint Pain.

I have to admit, this description sounds pretty accurate. Great. So what can I do about it?

According to what I’ve read, remedies for the condition include rest, sleeping on your side (I am still working on this one … it makes my hips ache), exercise to build the muscles around the joint (the core muscles), and a pregnancy, or sacroiliac, belt.

I have to admit, I have really fallen off of the exercise wagon since I became pregnant. Between the lows and the extreme fatigue, exercise just hasn’t been in the cards. But I want to try to get back into my water aerobics routine and see if that helps my back any. We’ll see if I can round up enough energy. I also had grand plans of joining a local yoga class, but that, too, has been put on hold. We’ll see.

I am also looking at this pregnancy brace. It gets mixed reviews, but it looks like it might be easier to live with than those belts that go under your belly. The belts are supposed to be worn over your clothing … so I guess you have to take it off EVERY TIME you have to go to the bathroom. That could get old really fast.

Have you dealt with back pain during pregnancy or otherwise? How did you improve your condition?