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How To Get Rid Of Sciatica

Updated on October 15, 2015

What is sciatica?

The term lumboischialgy or sciatica include pain that occurs after pressing the root of a large nerve that exits from the spinal cord - nerve ishiadicus. The pain may be accompanied by tingling, stiffness and weakness that starts in the lower back and buttocks in the left thigh, from the front, inside, back or outside, and can be expanded through the lower leg to the foot.

N. ishiadicus is the longest and widest nerve in the body, the thickness of a thumb. It is composed of five small nerves that come out of the lumbosacral spine and down the leg where it divides into smaller nerves in the upper thigh, knee, feet and toes.

The symptoms that indicate that it is a sciatica:

- a strong pain in the lower back that radiates to the leg through the gluteal region, sometimes all the way to the fingers (rarely occurs in two feet)

- pain is aggravated when sitting

- burning sensation and numbness along the entire length of leg

- weakness, numbness or failure to control leg movements

- weaker reliance on legs and it is possible paresis feet and reduced or limited function of foot

- constant pain that may make it difficult getting up or walking

Feeling pain can range from occasional, moderate and irritating, to severe, constant and almost paralyzing. The onset can be gradual or sudden. Although the symptoms can be very pronounced and painful, rarely does permanent damage to the nerve.

Symptoms of sciatica that indicate an urgent medical procedure
Rarely, but sometimes it happens that the symptoms of sciatica so quickly deteriorate to require surgery. If you suffer from the following symptoms you need to seek medical advice immediately:

- pain and other neurologic disorders that are deteriorating and do not indicate possible nerve damage (eg, weakness)

- symptoms that occur in both legs (the so-called. bilateral sciatica) and cause intestinal problems or bladder disorders may indicate cauda equina syndrome (muscle weakness and outbursts of sensation in the legs in the form of "riding breeches" and noise control bladder and bowel).

Operational treatment is usually indicated four to six weeks after unsuccessful conservative treatment with progression of neurological dysfunction and the patient's quality of life is seriously affected. The incidence of sciatica is increasing in middle age. Rarely appears before the twenties, in middle age it has the ability to rapidly increase, but after the fiftieth rapidly declining and is unlikely to show any symptoms of the disease.

Often, a particular movement or injuries do not cause sciatica but it develops over a long period. Most patients who have met with sciatica situation is evolving over several weeks (up to 2 months), and generally solve problems with conservative methods of treatment. However in some cases the pain caused by a pinched nerve can be quite a tough and exhausting.

Common Causes of sciatica

Most common cause of sciatica is increased physical activity, and sometimes it is not possible at all to make out the cause of this pain. Possible causes are the compression and inflammation around the nerve, this is often caused as a result of a tight Piriformis, a small muscle originating at on the tail bone and attaching to the outside of the femur (the thigh bone).

Sciatic Nerve
Sciatic Nerve

Conservative Methods Of Treatment

The treatment of sciatica

Is very important before proceeding with any treatment to determine which is the cause of sciatica, and then specify the method of treatment, because depending on the damage that underlies differs the therapy.

Conservative methods

Conservative treatment methods for healing sciatica really offer a wide range of treatments, with the goal to reduce pain caused by pressure on a nerve. Usually we use a number of methods, not just one, in combination with exercise in order to deal more effectively with the pain and more quickly resolve the issue. The majority of patients with sciatica has a good response to conservative therapy and surgical treatment is not necessary.

  • Sleep - just at the initial stage when severe pain present (usually Williams' position that is lying on back with bent knees and hips)

  • Hot / cold packs - in the acute phase application of hot compresses or ice is used to relieve pain, especially in the first stage of pain. Typically compresses are held on the sore spot for 20min and placed every 2 hours

  • Drug therapy - analgesic painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-spasm

  • Epidural injections that will help to reduce the inflammation

  • Exercise, stretching, movement

Alternative Methods

With the classical medical procedures that are regularly applied in the treatment of sciatica, some of the alternative method of therapy also showed very good results in the release of pain that occur during sciatica.

3 most alternative methods are:


  • Chiropractic - Direct manipulation helps with sciatica, but it is important to contact a qualified and professional chiropractor. Chiropractor focuses on the individual bones of the spine and trying to achieve proper alignment of the joints.

  • Massage - When the muscles of the spine are in a spasm, massage can alleviate currently supporting stiffness and tension. It is believed that massage releases endorphinsjust like acupuncture.

  • Acupuncture - proven effective method against back pain, it is believed that helps with sciatica.

Exercise therapy


Exercise is certainly one of the most important steps in prevention and rehabilitation of people who suffer from low back pain and sciatica. The program of exercises should be started as soon as the discounts pain. Initially it is advisable to combine exercise with other therapy, especially massage and physical therapy. From exercises usually do the exercises on the mat for stretching the back and later exercises to strengthen the abdominal and back muscles. In addition to exercises done on the mat is very desirable also the exercises in the pool because the water relieves the body. For spine is very convenient swimming crawl or backstroke. It is recommended to rotate the body in water, once in the left, second to the right. So easily removes tension in the spine. The therapy and specific exercises for sciatica are determined for each patient individually, depending on the damage that is hidden in the background as well as a number of other factors such as general physical form of the patient, severity of pain and others.

Summary

Sciatica as painful as it may be, can be easily cured and I do mean actually cured!

You need to be extremely consistent with the route that you choose to take, consistent with exercises and stretches and whenever you begin a new training programme of any kind, always take it slow and build on your fitness levels, don't over do it!

If you have any of your own suggestions on how to ease sciatica in the short or long term then please leave a comment!

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