Sciatic Pain Relief

When looking into some sciatica home treatments to remedy sciatica problems I could just barely stomach some of concoctions that i found listed around the web. But I am sure if I was going through the pain of sciatica I would try just about anything.

Here are a few sciatica home treatments for you to try. Please note that I do not suffer from sciatica symptoms so I have not had a chance to try any of these sciatica home treatments. Seeing as sciatica is a symptom of other ailments what I have listed here are temporary solutions to dealing with the symptoms of sciatica and not the root problem causing the sciatica.

Combining potato and celery juice together is said to produce relief from sciatica related pain syndromes. For this juice blend to be truly effected it is said that you should be drinking at least 10 ounces a day of this sciatica home treatment. Adding some carrot and beetroot juice will help to fortify the mixture and make it taste more pleasant for those of you thinking that you would never be able to stomach the original two flavors by themselves. If you still can not stomach this mixture and find the taste displeasing then I would have to relay a suggestion I noticed a while back about drinking celery tea throughout the day instead.

Another juice that you want to consider for a sciatica home treatment is a juice made with elderberries. This can be drank in either the form of juice or tea, making it a convenient choice for just about anyone. The way the elderberries work is that they contain properties that help to relax and stimulate the muscles. This is beneficial in treating sciatica symptoms.

To get relief from aches and pains as well as improve circulation around your body you can try eating raw garlic or taking garlic supplements along with other kinds of supplements. Taking Vitamin B1 or a B Complex supplement will help to reap the full benefits that garlic can provide in treating sciatica symptoms. Garlic is believed to be so effective as a sciatica home treatment because it contains anti-oxidant properties. It also helps to provide the body with warmth and energy.

In conjunction with using the sciatica home treatment methods listed above, you should be looking to improve your general health overall if you suffer from sciatica. With some form of exercise and a proper healthy diet you can ensure that you will be able to meet your health goals in the future. Everything that i listed above is natural and can be found by anyone.

On the subject of miracle pills for sciatica home treatment. If you are looking for that miracle all in one pill to help take away the pain and symptoms associated with sciatica, i would suggest talking to your doctor or specialist before trying some of these miracle cures. I am not saying that none of them work, because I would not know, but I am saying that having a medical second opinion before taking some of these sciatica home treatment pills would be a wise idea.

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Because of pain and a lack of understanding of their condition, sciatica sufferers may make some costly long-term mistakes when it comes to handling their problem.

The first mistake is rushing into a surgery. Although the vast majority of surgeons are not anxious to perform surgery on sciatica cases, there are a few who do recommend surgical treatment right from the start, and without even attempting any other type of treatment. Sciatica resolves in approximately 80% of cases without surgery. Even when surgery is successful initially, the development of scar tissue and abnormal mechanical stresses on the spine adjacent to the surgery often lead to future problems. Given that low back spine surgery overall has about a 50% long-term success rate and people treated surgically often wind up worse than they were prior to surgery, it should be reserved as a treatment of last resort.

The exception to the rule of considering surgery as a last resort is in the rare case of severe neurological compromise known as “cauda equina syndrome”, which may be indicated by a loss of bowel and/or bladder control, sudden severe weakness in one or both legs, and/or “saddle anaesthesia” (a loss of sensation in the lower buttocks and inner thighs). Except in the rare instance of cauda equina syndrome though, it is generally better to avoid surgery if possible.

The second mistake sciatica sufferers often make is returning to normal activities too quickly once symptoms improve. The vast majority of true sciatica cases are due to bulging or herniation of one or more discs in the lumbar spine, and the inflammation that typically is associated with such disc problems. In many cases, slight improvements in inflammation can result in dramatic symptom improvement. Many sciatica victims mistakenly believe they are back to normal as soon as they feel better, but the reality is that the bulging/herniated disc is far from fully healed, and too much exertion too soon can easily trigger a recurrence of symptoms – sometimes even more severe than they were to begin with. Even professional physical therapists sometimes make the mistake of pushing a patient to do too much too soon, with the result being a return or increase in sciatica symptoms.

The third mistake people, including doctors, often make regarding sciatica is to view it as a condition that can be “cured”. Because most people continue to engage in the activities that caused the underlying disc problems to develop that produced sciatica in the first place, the vast majority of sciatica sufferers will experience repeated episodes, usually becoming more severe and more frequent over time. This is due to the fact that the disc issues that initially produce the sciatica tend to grow worse over time if they are not managed appropriately. Once again, it is not safe to assume that a resolution of symptoms means that the problem has gone away. In fact, what happens in many cases is that the spine and discs gradually degenerate over time, making the person more and more susceptible to sciatica episodes. Eventually, the degeneration can become so severe that there really is no effective treatment, and many people are left with chronic, debilitating pain.

Fortunately, in most cases, sciatica can be managed effectively simply through an awareness of potentially damaging activities and positions and through simple exercises one can do at home. Long-term pain and disability are avoidable, if one makes the necessary effort to perform the necessary exercise regimen on a regular schedule and to avoid movements, activities, and postions that can be damaging to the discs of the spine, such as incorrect bending and lifting, and poor posture (especially sitting posture). Long-term problems can be avoided by putting forth just a small amount of effort to manage sciatica on an ongoing basis over time.

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Sufferers of sciatica surely pray daily for a cure to relieve the constant pain and misery caused by this common condition. Any cure is specific to determination of the cause. In the case of sciatica the causes appear to be numerous.

Unfortunately today many people are suffering from sciatica pain and there are a number of treatments available that provide relief from the condition. The effectiveness varies and relates directly to the causes. All too often relief is only short term and the misery returns.

Not A Permanent Cure

It remains quite frustrating that most so called cures are not cures at all. It can best be described as interim relief. Choosing inappropriately labelled cures for sciatica may well actually result in being cured permanently. Many of the so called cures that available are no more than temporary relief of pain and symptoms that result from the true cause of the condition that remains untreated.

As you may well imagine, people constantly experiencing pain, immobility and the inability to perform normal daily functions, are quite eager to grasp at any potential solution that could relieve those symptoms. They may achieve an acceptable degree of pain relief but do nothing to treat the cause of that pain.

There is however a contingent of the population that believes one of the cures for sciatica is engaging in a routine of exercises that treat the mind and body. Among the most popular of such techniques you may recognize the practices of Yoga and Pilates. These are said to be beneficial not only to the ill but also the healthy among us.

In addition, you will find offered self-mobilization classes in which you will be taught to eliminate stress and pain by developing mind control of the body. Another suggested cure for sciatica is routinely performing natural exercises which have been designed to not only relieves the pain from your sciatica problem, but will also make you a fitter person. It is a popular belief that you should routinely stretch and exercise your muscles. It has been said that muscles that have been allowed to deteriorate through inactivity, damage the sciatica and thus cause you more unwanted sciatica pain.

At this time all the answers are not on the table. Some turn to natural cures for sciatica that may prove only temporary relief for the sciatica nerve condition. Some people seek the help of a doctor and follow his recommendations to achieve relief from the symptoms of sciatica. You may wish to conduct your own personal research utilizing a variety of the methods mentioned above to determine which method will provide the most effective relief from the pain you are suffering.

In the end a true cure must treat the cause of the pain. The pain is merely a symptom. Although many causes have been identified, efforts will continue to establish better treatments that provide permanent relief and long term elimination of the cause.

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In most people, self care measures is usually recommended a sciatica treatment as this usually responds well. Continuing with your usual activities but avoiding the original factor that aggravated your sciatica pain in the first place will help you to heal more quickly. Even though it seems like a few days of bed rest may provide some relief, any more then this is not a good idea. Inactivity will make your symptoms worse over time.

In addition to self care sciatica treatment, try some of the following:

Cold Packs: Cold packs help to reduce inflammation and relieve some of the discomfort. In a clean towel, wrap an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas and apply to the affected areas for fifteen to twenty minutes four times per day.

Hot Packs: After 48 hours have passed, apply heat to the affected areas. Warm packs or a heating pad on the lowest setting should help to alleviate some of the pain. Try to alternate warm and cold packs if you continue to have pain.

Stretching: When stretching initially after your sciatica flare up, stick to passive stretching and avoid jerking motions including bouncing or twisting.

Over The Counter Medication: There are two categories of pain killers. The first one only relieves pain. The second type of pain killer relieves pain as well as treats inflammation. These are called Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Products such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen products such as Tylenol can help to relieve sciatica pain. These can provide real pain relief but there is a limit to how much pain can be controlled. This is known as the ceiling effect – exceeding the recommended dosage wont provide better results. Worse though is that these NSAIDS are known to cause side effects in some people such as nausea, stomach bleeding or ulcers. Acetaminophen has been known to cause liver problems if taken in excess. If you use these medications on a regular basis talk to you health care professional so that you can be monitored for problems associated with prolonged usage. If you are exercising, stretching or following another sciatica treatment program you should periodically re-evaluate if you still require these NSAIDS for pain management.

Prescription Drugs: A muscle relaxant along with anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed by your health care professional. In some cases of chronic pain anticonvulsant and tricyclic antidepressant drugs may also be prescribed. By blocking the pain messages being sent to your brain or enhancing the bodies production of endorphins, pain symptoms can sometimes be handled this way. Your bodies natural painkillers are called endorphins.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapy can play an important part in your recovery from a herniated disk. When your condition improves your physical therapist can work with you to help design a rehabilitation program that will help you prevent the same injury in the future.

Regular Exercise: When you injure yourself you think that movement or exercise would be counterproductive and all you want to do is just lay down and rest until the pain goes away. The truth is that regular exercise is the best way to combat many ailments, including chronic discomfort. When you exercise your body releases endorphins. Endorphins are the chemical that prevent pain signals from reaching your brain and can also help to fight against anxiety and depression. Your pain may be more difficult to control if you suffer from either depression or anxiety.

In most circumstances conservative sciatica treatment is tried for three to six months. When conservative sciatica treatment fails to alleviate your pain more aggressive sciatica treatment options are usually attempted.

Epidural Steroid Injections: An injection of a corticosteroid medication to the affected area may be helpful in some instances. If taken in doses that exceed your natural levels, inflammation is suppressed relieving painful symptoms caused by the pressure of the inflammation. Most effective when used in conjunction with a sciatica treatment rehabilitation program. Because of the serious side effects that corticosteroid injections can cause, the number of injections you can receive in a year is usually limited to no more then three.

Surgery: Surgery is most often a last resort and left until the compressed nerve causes significant weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control, or if the pain itself is progressing and conventional sciatica treatment is not working. Most often surgery is preformed as a sciatica treatment to remove a portion of a herniated disk that is pressing on a nerve. The goal is to preserve as mush of the normal anatomy as possible, leaving as much of the disk intact as possible.

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Sciatica exercises come in many different forms, but the last thing you need when you’re in pain is to have to learn a complicated exercise routine. But using exercise to alleviate sciatica doesn’t have to be difficult. Getting relief can be as simple as doing just one exercise and doing it frequently until such time as the pain is gone or at least much improved.

To figure out what exercise will be of most benefit, it is important to try to distinguish whether you have sciatica from a lumbar disc bulge /herniation, or whether you have a condition called “piriformis syndrome”, which produces symptoms very similar to disc-related sciatica but is caused by contraction of the piriformis muscle in the buttock area.

An easy method to help you determine what the problem is can be done by doing a couple of tests while sitting in a firm chair. In the sitting position, try straightening your knee on the painful side, so that your leg is parallel to the floor. If this increases your symptoms, chances are you have true sciatica related to a disc problem.

The second test is to bend your leg to pull the knee toward your chest. Begin by first bringing the knee on the painful side toward the shoulder on the same side. Then release the leg slightly and pull the knee toward the opposite shoulder. If pulling the knee toward the opposite shoulder increases the pain significantly more than pulling it toward the same side shoulder, chance are you have piriformis syndrome. It should be noted that it is possible to have both true sciatica and piriformis syndrome at the same time.

Once you determine whether you have true sciatica or piriformis syndrome, or both, you can usually get considerable relief from just a single exercise for either condition (two exercises if you have both).

For true sciatica, most people will find relief through the basic McKenzie extension exercise (named for physical thearapist Robin McKenzie). This exercise is performed by lying face down on a firm surface and then propping yourself up on your elbows, creating an increase in the curve of the lower back. Getting into this position may be painful at first, but within about 30 seconds, most people will notice a decrease in the severity or the range of the sciatica, or both. A positive sign is when the symptoms furthest from the spine decrease.

As long as the symptoms are decreasing furthest from the spine, the exercise described is beneficial, even if the symptoms closer to the spine seem to increase at first (they’ll usually improve with repetition of the exercise over time). I suggest you remain in this position for a couple of minutes and then take a break by either just lying flat, or by getting up and walking for at least a few minutes in between the exercise repetitions in order to avoid developing a lot of tightness in the low back muscles.

For piriformis syndrome, you can do a simple stretch of the piriformis muscle. I recommend you do this by lying on your back, pulling your knee on the painful side toward the same side shoulder for a few seconds, then partially releasing the leg and then pulling your knee toward the opposite shoulder. Hold this stretch for about 10 seconds at a time, then carefully release your leg for a a few seconds before repeating the stretch.

Whether you need the McKenzie extension exercise, or the piriformis stretch, or both, the sciatica exercises work best when repeated frequently – up to several times per day while you are having signficant symptoms.

When the symptoms have subsided, it is extremely important to learn what sciatica exercises you can do to prevent the symptoms from returning in the future. Don’t be fooled! Just because the symptoms go away, it doesn’t mean that everything is back to normal. All too often, sciatica sufferers go from one episode of pain to the next, with episodes becoming more severe and more frequent over time, because they fail to manage the problem correctly so you can avoid the common problem of developing chronic pain and disability.

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