Pregnancy and Sciatica/Herniated Disc

[Kim__0__0]

  Hi there!  I'm hoping you can help me.  I'm 20 weeks pregnant and have
  been experiencing excruciating pain since conception.  The pain starts
  in my right buttock, shoots into my hip and goes down along my calf and
  into my foot.  Sometimes it feels like I have sprained my ankle.
  I have been to many doctors, have gone to physiotherapy and have gone to
  a chiropractor.  Nothing has helped and the problem keeps getting worse.
  It started off as just a slight pain in the centre of my right buttock.
  At that point, I started physio to try to get to the root of the problem
  and eliminate it.  I went daily for three weeks. It didn't work.  In
  fact, it made it worse.  My doctor told me that it was aggravated and
  said to take it easy for a couple of weeks.  I did and the problem got
  even worse. By the time I went to the chiropractor, my back was twisted
  and I couldn't stand up straight. I went to the chiro for 4 weeks, 3x week.
  He helped untwist my back, but the pain was still there and becoming worse.
  I am now experiencing lower back pain as well.  He says it's a herniated
  disc at L4-L5.
  The pain is now excruciating and I can barely walk - I'm basically bedridden.
  I've been off of work for 7 weeks and don't see me returning anytime soon.  
  My dr. told me the problem is from pregnancy hormones and that I may not get
  any relief until 6 months after I have the baby (baby is due in May 1999).
  My question is:  Is there any treatment available for a pregnant woman?
  The only thing I've been able to take is Tylenol and it doesn't do much.
  I'm not getting any sleep as the pain wakes me up after an hour or two.
  I'm starting to suffer from severe depression as a result of the pain and
  lack of mobility.
  All of the doctors I've seen have told me there's nothing that can be done,
  but I can't believe that.  Can you please help me find some relief?  Do you
  know of any back specialists in the Toronto, Ontario area???
  Thanks for any help you can give.
  Kim
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Thanks for your question.  The symptoms described in your message are very
suggestive of a lumbo-sacral radiculopathy, i.e. a compression of the nerve
roots L4, L5, S1 either within the spinal canal, or as they exit the spine
(through the neural foramina).  Your pregnancy is most likely the main
reason for the exacerbation of the nerve compression problem for the
following reasons: a) changes in the relatively alignment of the vertebrae
due to the uterus, thus causing the narrowing of the spinal canal and also
of the neural foramina; b) edema/swelling of the soft tissue surrounding
the neural foramina from the particular hormonal state from the pregnancy -
some women can also have new Carpal Tunnel syndrome by the same mechanism.
Because of concerns regarding the development of the fetus, most of the
diagnostic procedures (i.e. neuro-imaging studies), and therapeutic tools
(stronger anti-inflammatory agents, muscle relaxants) are not available
during pregnancy.  If your pain is very debilitating, or if your are
noticing motor weakness in addition to pain, you should contact your
obstetrician.
I hope this information is helpful.  Best of luck.
This information is provided for general medical education purposes only.
Please consult your doctor regarding diagnostic and treatment options.