Sciatic nerve pain can be debilitating. If you’ve been struggling with it, I don’t have to tell you that.
Burning, shooting pain down the back of one leg is usually how sciatic pain manifests. Because this is the human body’s largest nerve (running from the lower back, splitting in two and travelling down the back of the legs to the feet), the pain caused by dysfunction in the discs, nerve impingement and even the pressure on the lower body associated with late-term pregnancy, can wreak a lot of havoc.
Just for you, I’ve assembled these 5 tips for soothing your sciatic pain. Read on to discover some effective responses to sciatic pain.
1. Contrast therapy
Contrast therapy is the alternating application of heat and cold. Apply an ice back for about 15 minutes to reduce inflammation. Immediately afterwards, apply a heating pad. This will have the effect of soothing tense muscles, with the additional benefit of promoting increased blood flow to nerves and muscles.
2. Acupuncture
There’s a reason acupuncture is included in Back & Body’s award-winning suite of multi-disciplinarian pain relief services. This 5,000 year old discipline is highly effective.
Using an ancient “road map” of the body, ultra-fine needles (sterilized for one-time use) are inserted in pressure points related to the site producing pain.
For reducing muscle tension and spasms, it’s been proven to work. Blood flow is also enhanced by acupuncture.
3. Stretching/Yoga
Stretching (the basis of Yoga) promotes flexibility and can also improve muscle strength in the lower back and core. This has the effect of reducing pressure on the backs of the legs, relieving pain.
You may want to follow a class to help relieve your sciatic pain, or even to work with a physical therapist to guide you in your efforts.
4. Physical therapy
Physical therapists are trained to work with their patients to improve range of motion and flexibility. The patient plays a key role in the success of physical therapy by performing prescribed exercises between sessions.
Your pain is reduced and your body awareness is enhanced, helping you avoid future episodes of sciatica.
5. Chiropractic care
Herniated or slipped discs are a common cause of sciatic pain. When this is the case, your best course of action is to see a chiropractor.
A recent study published in the Official Journal of the North American Spinal Society found that patients participating experienced reduced pain, fewer “pain days” and less severe pain than those who didn’t receive adjustments to treat sciatica.
I hope these tips have you given you some fresh insight into how to treat your sciatic pain and why the therapies listed work.
Back & Body Medical
At Back & Body, we practice multi-disciplinarian care, implicating chiropractic, sports medicine, acupuncture and physical therapy.
Working as a team, we construct care plans that address the individual patient’s case. Centering the patient allows us to tailor personalized therapeutic responses, offering out patients outstanding outcomes.
Sciatic pain is no fun. Discover the multi-disciplinarian approach to relieving it, at Back & Body.
