Sciatica pain never comes when it is convenient. It can strike in the middle of the night, at work, or at your kid’s soccer game. The pain often starts in the hip and can radiate down the back side of your leg. You may notice a tingling sensation while sitting or walking. In some severe cases, sciatica can cause your legs to feel weak and make it difficult to stand.
Painkillers and other medications may provide some temporary relief, but only in masking the pain. This may be helpful at night to be able to sleep, but masking the pain during the day may make it worse. If the pain is not felt, then the activity that is irritating the sciatic nerve is not avoided.
Sciatica may be common, but it is not normal. Using natural ways to address the source of sciatica is important to be able to enjoy the rest of your life and not let it become a chronic pain.
Chiropractic Care
The body was designed to heal itself. We see it work every time we have a cut on our skin. We may put a band-aid on it to keep it from getting infected, but the body will immediately get to work healing that cut. That is as long as the nervous system is working without interference.
Sciatica is the result of interference of our sciatic nerve, which is best addressed by chiropractic care to find the source of that interference and remove the interference. Our gentle chiropractic approach, no popping, twisting, or cracking, is designed to remove the interference and allow the sciatic nerve to function properly.
The first step in addressing sciatica is to get chiropractic care to remove the interference, stabilize the correction, and maintain the correction. Along with chiropractic care, the following may be recommended to help maintain the correction.
YOGA
Yoga is a great way to help improve your core strength, spine flexibility, and hip mobility, which helps to maintain the corrections made through chiropractic care. Adding a 15-20 minute yoga routine to your daily activities not only helps with sciatica but is beneficial to your overall health.
Yoga instructional videos and classes are available online, on DVDs, at yoga studios, health clubs, community centers, and other places. You can do yoga in the privacy of your home or with friends at a center. As with any type of exercise, start out easy and build up over time.
ELEVATE YOUR KNEES WHEN SLEEPING
Sleeping on your back with your spine in a neutral position is best for overall spinal health. If your spine is in a non-neutral position, whether laying on your back or side, your spine may twist or compress, which can put pressure on the sciatic nerve. Elevating your knees while you sleep on your back takes the pressure off your lower back and off the sciatic nerve.
It can take some time to get used to sleeping on your back, but the benefits to your spine and body are worth it. Putting a pillow under your knees will lift them up enough to take the tension off your lower back. Try different thicknesses of a pillow to find the right pillow for a comfortable and relaxed night of sleep.
BATH BEFORE BED
Our busy lives add a lot of stress to our bodies. Taking some quiet time in a warm bath with Epsom salts can help you release the tension in your muscles and get a good night’s sleep. It also naturally releases endorphins in your body, which help you feel better.
LASER THERAPY
We have a class 4 (hot) laser in our office. Laser treatments help the body heal by bringing more blood flow to the treatment area, which provides more nutrients to that area. It increases lymphatic flow, which helps reduce inflammation. It also activates the cells to produce more ATP or energy for the cells to speed up healing. All these benefits will help the body heal and maintain the corrections made by chiropractic care.
For more information:
What Is Sciatic Pain & What Causes It?
Choosing A Chiropractor That Best Fits Your Needs
Exercises that are Safe on Your Lower Back
CALL AND LET US HELP
Sciatica not only affects your mood and lifestyle, it affects all those around you. Contact us at Hunt Spinal Care to learn more about how our gentle chiropractic care has provided powerful results!
