Postpartum sciatica: Anyone else dealing with this?

Elizabeth Bishop49 said:A pediatrician's response:

It’s unlikely you'll start having severe rectal pain out of nowhere. It's much more probable that a lesion occurred during labor—pelvic fractures aren't off the table either. So rather than just popping Advil, you need proper diagnostics—it would be wise to see an orthopedist and perhaps get some pelvic imaging.

I feel for you 🙂 and have been in this exact same spot. Lower back pain radiating through the pelvis and down my right leg to the knee. I had an X-ray at Mayo Clinic that showed narrowing of the spinal canal in three places. Now I'm doing physical therapy privately and yoga. After a month of pain, I can finally say I'm feeling much, much better. I definitely agree with the bolded part; it's hard to get a precise diagnosis, and even harder to pick a treatment without actual imaging. Good luck regardless. This can be fixed, provided you head in the right direction. 👍

My chiropractor won't even see me yet😢
He told me not to even think about getting any treatment until I'm at least two months postpartum.
His advice? Just lie on my side, curl up into a ball, and pull my knees toward my chin as far as they'll go...
Ugh, seriously... I feel like I'm going to lose my mind and end up in the ER if this keeps up.😢😢😢😢

If you're dealing with sciatica, my advice is to try applying heat to the painful area and just resting. It worked for me... though my issue wasn't actually coming from my tailbone; I was feeling the pain hit my groin and shoot down my leg toward the knee.

I couldn't even turn over to nurse the baby tonight🙂🙂🙂
It’s honestly getting worse, and the pain is just becoming unbearable.

Yesterday, I ended up applying some LED gel twice and took an Advil.

I might have to try those Voltaren suppositories, though it means I'll have to give the little one something other than my breast since I just can't deal with this anymore.

I guess nobody is going to take me seriously or even look my way until at least two months postpartum.🤷

I went through this myself right after giving birth.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it lasted a long time—well over a year.
Those excruciating pains only subsided temporarily with injections—a mix of corticosteroids and some kind of painkiller, though I don't believe you should take them while breastfeeding. But even then, just a few days after the shots, everything would revert to the way it was before.
The pain was at its absolute worst in the evening. Once I finally laid down in bed, the agony would hit me so hard I wanted to scream. I couldn't find a single comfortable position. Moving around made it bearable, but the more I moved, the worse the pain became once things settled down. It was pure misery.
During those intense nightly episodes, what actually helped me was applying ice to the most painful spot, somewhere near my hip/buttock area. I would sit on those gel ice packs meant for lunch bags until the sensation subsided. Some people suggested heat, but for me, heat only made the pain worse.
Regarding medication, the only thing that provided relief was taking Advil several times a day, and only when combined with Normabel. That was the only way I could manage to fall asleep at night. Of course, that wasn't a real solution to the underlying issue.
My doctor pointed out that while these intense pains are occurring, I really need to slow down and rest more. Once the acute pain subsides, I should begin exercising. It was difficult to truly rest with a newborn, but I tried my best to minimize the strain. Fewer activities and less heavy lifting were always better. I truly hope you have someone who can step in and help you for a couple of weeks; believe me, you will feel reborn. In my case, moving back in with my mother helped immensely, and my suffering became much more manageable from then on.
Ultimately, the pain occurred less frequently over time. It only disappeared completely once I began exercising every single day, making sure to warm up first and finish with stretching. I am certain that is how I truly healed myself, because whenever I took a break, the pain returned immediately—it was less intense, but it hit the exact same spots in the exact same way.

Turns out my sciatica was actually just referred pain from my kidneys after all.

I spent last night dealing with "attacks" of kidney stones—nausea and vomiting included—so I ended up in the ER. They pumped me full of Advil and Tylenol injections, and now I can't breastfeed for at least 48 hours after the last dose...

I’m heading back for more tests tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm terrified that once these meds wear off, that disgusting pain is going to come crawling back. I think what I felt last night was actually worse than when I was in labor.
Seriously guys, it was pure hell. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

I feel your pain, truly.
So, here’s my situation: it’s been nine months since I gave birth, and my tailbone is still killing me. I recently started Pilates, but there are certain moves I just can't pull off—like lying on my back and lifting my legs. I simply can't do it because of the pain; it feels like someone shoved a heavy stone right under my tailbone. Plus, if I sit for too long, my whole body just locks up. My hips and pelvis make these clicking, creaking sounds... I honestly have no idea what's going on. For instance, when I lie on my side on the floor, everything starts popping, almost as if there's no cartilage left between the bones. It was a really rough delivery, too. I was in labor for twelve hours straight, and I spent days popping Advil just to cope. There were nights where I'd get so stiff I couldn't move, and my husband had to physically turn me over in bed just so I could get comfortable.
What should I do? Who should I actually see? I don't even want to bother with the local hospital system—I'd probably be waiting months just for an appointment, and I'd rather go private. But I also don't want to go broke paying a small army of specialists. Should I look for an orthopedist, a physiatrist, or maybe a chiropractor? And would an X-ray or an ultrasound even help?
Thanks