Home Remedies for Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief
By Stephen R. Farris
That pain you feel in your lower back and/or shooting down one side of your leg could be signs that you're experiencing sciatic nerve pain. Catching sciatic nerve pain early can help prevent further nerve damage if left untreated. Not just that, but sciatic nerve pain can also prevent you from doing the things you normally do. In worse cases, it can even prevent you from walking, causing severe weakness in your leg to the point you could fall and possibly injure something else.
But you can get an early jump on sciatic nerve pain by doing a few things at home to help improve your condition.
Exercise
While the pain may be tough to deal with, you can still do a few simple exercises such as walking for instance, that won't be strenuous on your body and could actually be better for your back. The key is not to overdo it, or indulge in intense workouts as this could do more harm than good.
Stretching
Try doing some gentle stretch routines each day to help keep your muscles loose. Plus stretching can help keep the spine loose, providing more flexibility, and range of motion. Not only that, but it's a great way to keep your core strong.
Hot and Cold Therapy
In between exercising or stretching, try reducing inflammation by using cold therapy such as an ice pack for about 10-15 minutes a few times a day. You can also use a heating pad on your lower back to help reduce sciatic pain. The heat helps circulate blood flow in the area of pain, which can speed up the healing process.
Chiropractic Therapy
Visiting with your local chiropractor can help provide relief from sciatic nerve pain. Chiropractic treatment is an all-natural, non-invasive, and non-addictive form of care through spinal manipulation of the spine to help realign vertebrae and loosen up muscles that could be putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.
However, if you suffer from sciatic nerve pain and home treatment doesn't seem to be helping, or you start to feel some of the following conditions:
- Severe pain in your lower back and/or legs
- Weakness, numbness, or tingling sensations
- Pain doesn't improve for in at least two to six weeks
- Loss of bowel and/or bladder control
These conditions, and a few others, are signs that you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Sacramento, Calif.