Have you ever had sciatica before? (Just ask Dr. Sarah – she knows first hand how uncomfortable and irritating it is!) Sciatica is a common complaint that we see at our clinic in Lake Country. If you have sciatica, you probably feel numbness, tingling, and/or burning following the path of the sciatic nerve down the back of your leg. (Sometimes these symptoms go all the way down to your foot.) While we see sciatica pretty commonly in the general population, it’s actually also quite common in women with pelvic floor dysfunction, especially in pregnancy. Did you know the pelvic floor muscles can cause sciatica?
Why Do I Have Sciatica?
The sciatic nerve can get irritated in a few different locations. Irritation to your sciatic nerve can occur in your low back, by your SI joints, or in your deep hip muscles, primarily your piriformis. The pelvic floor muscles actually play a large role in all 3 of these locations!
Your Lower Back
At the end of our spine is the sacrum and tailbone. What is attached to both the sacrum and the tailbone? You guessed it – the pelvic floor muscles!
Because of this, our pelvic floor muscles play a HUGE role in the function of our spine. If they are not functioning properly, our back will not be functioning well either. This can contribute to sciatica.
Your SI Joints
If you press on the dimples in your low back, does it hurt? These are your SI joints (where the pelvis meets the low back). When we have pain in this joint, it often means that the muscles in the surrounding area are not functioning properly (usually it’s an issue of too much tension) and are not allowing this joint to move like it wants to move. The sciatic nerve and the SI joints are right next to each other, and SI joint dysfunction can lead to sciatica.
So what causes SI joint dysfunction? We have 36 muscles that attach to our pelvis. Woah! All of these muscles need to be working well for our SI joints, hips, and low back to feel good and move well. When it comes to the SI joints, most commonly we see issues with tension in the lower back muscles, hip muscles, and/or pelvic floor muscles.
Your Piriformis
The last place sciatica can come from is the piriformis muscle. This muscle is deep in your hip under your glute, and it also forms the deepest layer of the pelvic floor. Our sciatic nerve either runs through, over, or under the piriformis muscle (everyone’s anatomy is just a little bit different). If your piriformis is tight, it can irritate the sciatic nerve.
Is My Pelvic Floor Causing My Sciatica?
How do I know if my sciatica is coming from the pelvic floor? In all 3 of these instances in which sciatica is coming from the pelvic floor, it’s more commonly a pelvic floor tension issue versus a pelvic floor weakness issue. Here are some other common complaints associated with pelvic floor tension that we hear from women in Lake Country:
- Leaking
- Difficulty relaxing to start your urine stream
- Chronic constipation
- Incomplete emptying of bladder or bowels
- Urinary urgency or frequency
- Discomfort with intercourse, inserting a tampon or cup, or gynecologic exams
If your sciatica is coming from the pelvic floor, you MAY OR MAY NOT experience some of these other pelvic floor symptoms. The only way to know for sure if your sciatica is coming from the pelvic floor is with a pelvic floor exam by a physical therapist.
3 Fixes When Sciatica is Coming from the Pelvic Floor
Now that you know if your sciatica is coming from the pelvic floor, here are 3 easy exercises to help relax your pelvic floor muscles and reduce irritation on the sciatic nerve.
1. 360 Breathing
Deep breathing is a great way to relax pelvic floor tension. It’s an exercise that I work on with everyone with pelvic floor issues – it’s that important! (Here is another version of this exercise if you’re having difficulty with it.)
2. Wide Leg Child’s Pose
This pelvic floor relaxation stretch is a great way to target pelvic floor tension. Do some deep breaths in this position and use imagery (bottom of a balloon expanding, sit bones widening, muscles melting like butter, etc) to help the muscles relax.
3. Hip Rotations Against the Wall
This is my FAVORITE exercise to stretch the deep hip muscles and deepest layer of the pelvic floor (such as the piriformis). Trust me – it feels GREAT!
Pelvic Floor Therapy to Solve Your Sciatica
In most cases of pelvic floor tension, hands on treatment can be incredibly helpful and is usually necessary to fully resolve symptoms. We’ve seen awesome results with this combo of manual work plus targeted, individualized exercises!
Are you wondering if your sciatica is coming from the pelvic floor? Did you try these tips, get some relief, but the pain is still there? If you’re in Lake Country, shoot us a message and let’s work together to get rid of your sciatica coming from the pelvic floor!
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