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Sciatica is a painful and debilitating nerve condition that can flare up at any moment. If you’ve ever had to suffer through episodes of it, you know how absolutely miserable the severe nerve pain can truly be. Everyday activities can become extremely hard and painful to do, and after experiencing it for awhile your quality of life quickly begins to suffer and diminish. It ends up affecting not only your body, but also your mind and spirit.
While there are several causes and variations of sciatica, the medical condition is commonly known as general back pain which originates in the lower spine or buttocks area. This pain then radiates outwards, traveling through the lower body area and down either one or both legs. Sciatica got its name because it stems directly from the pinching, pressure, and irritation of the nerves which link the spinal cord to the sciatic nerves. Whenever this area becomes aggravated or inflamed the intense, shooting pain that’s associated with sciatica is what results from it.
For many people the pain is moderate to severe, but for some it’s excruciating, to the point that it becomes intolerable. Common reactions and movements including sneezing, coughing, getting up, sitting down, rolling over in bed, and simply walking, are no longer simple to do. They result in additional pressure and strain on the lower back area which then stresses the nerves and causes that radiating pain to flare up. Many report that one of the worst parts about it is how unpredictable and out of the blue the onset of the pain can be, it’s almost like a knee-jerk reaction.
There are a number of ways to treat sciatica that range from medications to lifestyle adjustments, but the focus here is on the best all-natural ways to reduce and manage sciatic pain. One thing that helps is staying active and maintaining a strong core, which helps to prevent future episodes. Also, getting plenty of sleep helps greatly because it gives your body a chance to rebuild, rest, and heal. Other than these simple things mentioned here, you can also try out the following five ways to reduce sciatic nerve pain:
1. YOGA- Yoga is among the most gentle and effective ways to condition your body and get into overall shape. For sciatica pain doctors and physical therapists often advise their patients to do certain exercises which target the affected area and many people have found relief this way. At the same time however, activities that place a lot of stress on the lower back should be limited and avoided as much as possible, especially bending or folding forward.
At the very least, it’s highly recommended that you start stretching. The accompanying video shows you how to do a one minute stretch routine that helps relieve sciatica pain and speed up healing. It can be done in your spare time, whenever and wherever, and the comments under the video show how it has helped tons of people get back to feeling normal and healthy again. Hopefully it will work for you as well if you suffer from sciatica!
2. MASSAGE- When your back hurts due to sciatic nerve pain it causes your muscles to tense and tighten up. This often exacerbates the pain and inflammation further, which is why a nice, relaxing, deep massage can help to relieve your aching body. Besides loosening your muscles up, a massage also leads to the release of endorphins which make you feel better and help to fight the pain.
3. HOT & COLD COMPRESS- Alternating between hot and cold treatments for sciatica can greatly relieve the pain. Placing an ice pack on the area helps to reduce inflammation, while a heating pad or warm bath works to stimulate and increase blood flow.
4. STAND UP- For the majority of people, spending a lot of time sitting down is normal. We sit while we’re waiting, when we’re traveling or going places, and when we get to where we are going, we sit down again! Not to mention working at a desk and sitting for long stretches of time at work. All that sitting can aggravate an already inflamed lower back even more and make it feel stiff as heck.
You need to get up more often and get moving! This will get your blood flowing again and keep your back from becoming tight and stiff. If you can, work while standing up and look into getting a standing desk. At the very least, get up and move around every once in awhile to avoid sitting for prolonged periods of time.
5. ACCUPUNCTURE- This is a wonderful alternative type of treatment that has worked for many sciatic nerve pain sufferers. Acupuncture may not be for everyone, especially those who hate needles, but it’s known to be effective at targeting and eliminating inflammation which is the root cause of sciatica. Out of all the issues acupuncture is used to treat, sciatica is the the top-most complained of disorder.
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