The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica most often occurs when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg.
Use hot packs, a heat lamp or a heating pad on the lowest setting. For continuing pain, try using both warm and cold packs, one at a time. Stretching. Stretching exercises for the low back might provide some relief.
Key points about sciatica
It is pain that starts along your sciatic nerve and spreads down your buttock and the back of 1 thigh. It is usually caused by a herniated (or bulging) disk in your spine that presses on your sciatic nerve. Sciatica usually heals on its own with rest and time.
Even though it probably hurts to some degree, walking is actually good for sciatica. Dr. Shah points out that walking promotes blood flow throughout the body, and can even make the nerves more resilient.
One of the big red flags for diagnosing sciatica is that the pain is usually limited to only one side of the body. Other red flags that indicate sciatica include pain when standing or sitting, numbness in the legs and weakness or numbness when moving a leg or foot.
Can sciatica just go away? The answer is yes — most cases resolve within six weeks from the onset of symptoms. Sciatica that lasts for three months or longer usually indicates the presence of an injury. Despite this, sciatica rarely requires surgery.
The Best Sciatica Exercises
The most common options are: Riding a stationary bike. Walking. Swimming.
Sciatica usually gets better in 4 to 6 weeks, but it can sometimes last longer.
Massage therapy is a proven way to relieve sciatica pain. A 2014 study even found that deep massage can even be as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in reducing low back pain, one of the symptoms of sciatica.
In addition to providing hydration, drinking water has the potential to alleviate sciatica, a common source of lower back and leg pain. Drinking water can slow the progression of symptoms and ease discomfort.
There are four sciatica exercises your spine specialist may recommend to help you reduce sciatic nerve pain caused by degenerative disc disease: pelvic tilt, knee to chest, lower trunk rotations, and all fours opposite arm and leg extensions.
An MRI of the lumbar spine will show many causes of low back pain and sciatica, including disc herniations, facet arthritis, and lumbar spinal stenosis. Digital x-rays and CT scans may also be used to diagnose the cause of sciatica.
If the sciatic nerve is damaged, it could result in numbness, tingling and, in more severe cases, weakness in the knees or legs. The longer it is left untreated, the longer it will take for numbness and weakness to go away, and they may become permanent.
Stress, depression and negative emotions in general can lead to sciatica pain as during turbulent times the brain may deprive certain nerves – including the sciatic nerve – of oxygen, leading to weakness, leg pain and tingling sensations typically associated with sciatica.
Avoid Processed and Sugary Foods
Processed and sugary foods can increase inflammation, worsening sciatic nerve pain. Avoid eating foods high in saturated fat, processed carbohydrates, and added sugars to reduce your risk of sciatica flare-ups.
While sciatica pain can be debilitating, chiropractic treatment can relieve it gently and naturally. This care entails treating the pain without costly and harmful side effects.
Caffeine and alcohol are also not your friends when it comes to managing sciatica. They can both increase inflammation, making pain worse.
However, a possible complication of sciatica is chronic (long-term) pain. If there's serious damage to an affected nerve, chronic muscle weakness, such as a “drop foot,” might happen. That's when nerve damage causes numbness in your foot, which makes normal walking difficult or even impossible.
How does a common tennis ball relieve your sciatic pain? It presses and treats the trigger points in the piriformis muscle, located beside your sciatic nerve. As your body weight presses into the part of your back that's causing you pain, your muscles will relax and release.
Yes, prolonged sitting can cause sciatica to develop, or even worsen if you've had a mild case in the past. Thai is primarily due to the pressure exerted on the sciatic nerve over time which comes with prolonged periods of sitting.