Easing Sciatic Pain

Easing Sciatic Pain 

When trying to stand up becomes one of the biggest difficulties in the day, and causes excruciating pain... or merely sitting down can 
make the pain unbearably worse, then chances are, it’s sciatica. 

Sciatica is a condition that occurs when the sciatic nerve is somehow stretched or scraped or pinched and becomes inflamed causing it from functioning properly.  The sciatic nerve begins in the lower back, deep in the hip and buttock, and runs down both legs.  A person is suffering from sciatica when he or she experiences tremendous pain even while doing simple body movements or coughing.  

Symptoms of sciatica are characterized by a light tingling feeling or burning sensation to a full blown sharp shooting pain that travels from the lower back, buttocks area, back of the legs, or down into the feet.  It can come on gradually or suddenly with excuciating pain.  

Most people who suffer from sciatica experience any number of these symptoms, which then progresses into leg numbness and even “foot drop” – or, the inability to lift or lower the foot affected by the sciatica.  There are both motor and sensory components to the sciatic nerve, and that's why you can experience either weakness, pain, or numbness... just a few, or all three. More often than not, sciatic nerve pain affects only one side, although it could also be possible to run down both legs.

Sciatica is generally diagnosed by a specialist, who then refers the patient to other specialists for treatment.  One such treatment that sufferers of sciatica often receive is chiropractic care.  If you experience sciatica, then it's likely you'll be referred to the chiropractor’s office at some point in time.  Here’s how your chiropractor can treat your sciatic pain:

 

The initial examination.  The first thing your chiropractor will do is take a thorough account of your medical history. This is to identify any factors that may be causing or contributing to your pain.  You will also undergo a comprehensive medical examination, again so the chiropractor can identify underlying health issues that may aggravate your pain.  Once your chiropractor is familiar with your specific case, they'll be able to develop an appropriate treatment plan for you.

The treatment plan.  Treatment will inevitably involve sessions during which the chiropractor will manually manipulate your spinal column in order to properly align your vertebrae.  This relieves pressure in between your discs to ease swelling and pressure on your nerves.  Specifically, your sciatic nerve should also be relieved, and should not send as many pain signals to the nervous system.  The circumstances of your individual condition will determine how often you go in for these sessions, and for how long you will have to receive treatment.

Adjunctive care.   In addition to vertebral alignments, your chiropractor may also recommend vitamins, nutritional supplements, and special exercises that can help strengthen the lower back, and alleviate your sciatic pain.  Some chiropractors may offer deep tissue massage, which eases muscle tension sometimes contributing to the pressure on the sciatic nerve, deep heat, or traction.  

Seeing a chiropractor can be one of the best things you can do for your sciatic pain.  Only 12% of the adult population have ever seen a chiropractic doctor, so ask for a referral from someone you trust, or consult with your family's physician for a referral to make sure chiropractic care is appropriate for your particular condition. 

In some cases sciatica may occur when there's more than just a pinched nerve outside the spinal cord.  It can occur when there's damage to a disc.  Usually a bulge or a herniation.  This is what some refer to as a "slipped disk" in the lower back.  Arthritis or a sprained ligament will narrow the passage ways of the nerves which may cause the nerve endings to become tender and inflamed. Other causes of sciatica, although rare include an abscess, tumor, or a blood clot. Since sciatic nerve pain is caused by pressure and inflammation on the nerve root, sciatic pain relief treatment is generally focused on relieving both of these symptoms through surgical or non-surgical methods. 

If you're experiencing sciatica, its advisable to stay off your feet for the first few days. One of the things you must avoid is to get up and down repeatedly as this will only cause the nerve to become more irritated.

It may also feel soothing to soak in warm baths to ease the pain. However, do not use heating pads while the nerve is inflamed. Prolonged heat will draw the inflammation in and make things worse. Rather, most healthcare professionals would advise the application of ice packs directly on the lower back area for 20 minutes at a time, every couple of hours. This may feel a little uncomfortable, but the cold packs will greatly help in reducing the swelling.

Though some doctors may prescribe muscle relaxants for

temporary relief of pain, caution is advised to prevent unnecessary side effects. Some medications can be addictive, or may give a false sense of feeling better.



Surgical methods to remove the portion of the disc that is irritating the nerve root are microdiscectomy or lumbar laminectomy, and discectomy. Surgery helps relieve both the pressure and the inflammation especially if the sciatic nerve pain is severe and has not been relieved through conservative care first.

Sciatica could be a frightening experience especially if you do not realize what is happening. One may begin to feel like becoming nearly crippled. However, most of the time, sciatica can be treated effectively.

Bless and Be Blessed... ALWAYS 

Lewis Meltz

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