Exercises

Exercises that are suitable for relieving the pain in the buttocks region in cases of sciatica are hip rotation while standing or piriformis stretching while lying down. Further exercises can be found under:

For hip rotation, the pregnant woman stands upright in front of a mirror. She can hold on to a chair or the like in order not to lose her balance during the exercise.
Now she lifts one leg and moves it backwards/ sideways with bent knee as if she wanted to step over an invisible obstacle. Maybe she can step next to the body for a short time with her toe, or she moves the leg forward again in a large arc. The exercise can be performed 15-20 times per side.

The exercise should be performed with both legs.
The piriformis stretch (M. piriformis = buttock muscle, which is located in direct proximity to the N. ischiadicus) takes place in the supine position. One leg is adjusted and the affected leg is placed over it, so that the lower leg lies on the thigh of the bent leg. The pregnant woman now grasps around the raised leg and pulls it slightly towards her body.
She can use her elbow to push the knee of the bent leg slightly down to increase the stretch. The head and back should remain on the floor during the exercise. The stretch should be felt in the buttocks and on the outside of the turned-over thigh.

In advanced pregnancy, the abdomen may be in the way when pulling the leg up. In this case, it is sufficient to push the knee of the turned-over leg outwards. It may be possible to pull the raised leg towards the body with the help of a towel or similar. The stretch can be held either 3x 20-30 seconds or, if comfortable, longer (up to 3 min).

Physiotherapy during pregnancy
Exercises for sciatic pain during pregnancy