Pain Relief

If you suffer from chronic back pain, chances are you have a long list of standardized exercises that are claimed to provide you with pain relief, make your back stronger, and help to support your spine. If you’re sticking to these exercises, it’s possible that you might see some improvement, BUT if you’re not getting results from your back exercise routine, there’s a good explanation and some great ways for powerful improvement!

Here’s the deal, cookie-cutter back pain exercises fall short because they aren’t geared to your specific issue. In order to get rid of your chronic back problem, you need to focus on back pain exercises that target your unique circumstance. For example, If you’re suffering from sciatica, and you have pain shooting down your legs, a back pain exercise that is targeted toward the upper back may be futile for you.

It’s likely that you may find it difficult to identify your specific back pain exercise needs. Your best bet is to first examine the balance of your body.

Believe it or not, most back pain and tension is caused by living with a body that is ‘out of balance’.

It only makes sense that the load bearing integrity of your body will be compromised if the foundation of your body is out of balance.

Your spine has a natural curve, and consists of a series of consecutive discs. If the natural curve of your spine extends beyond a certain point, or just one of those discs slips out of alignment, the strength of your spine becomes significantly weaker. Imagine your spine as a spring, as long as the coils are aligned as they should, the spring will flex and bend with ease. But, if just one coil is kinked or pulled, suddenly the spring becomes useless. The same goes for your skeletal structure.

Your skeletal structure isdesigned to work smoothly in a specific manner.

Typically, when we’re born our spine is flawlessly curved, our joints work smoothly, and the balance of our skeletal structure is perfect. Surely, as time goes by, we tend to spend more time sitting, develop poor postural habits, suffer traumas, deal with stress, and the list continues.

As a result of these developments, our once balanced physique becomes contorted, and when the pain starts, as it inevitably will, we neglect to take steps toward correcting our balance issues, and instead we be begin doing cookie-cutter back pain exercises. For this reason alone, it is imperative that you practice back pain exercises that are designed to eliminate your specific issue. In many cases, this will mean addressing your posture, your alignment, and your overall physical stature.

So, where do you begin?

Start by examining your current needs. Where is your pain, do you slouch when you stand, what about when you sit, is one shoulder higher than the other, are your legs at even length, etc.?

Once you’ve assessed your specific problem areas, whether it’s upper back pain, middle back soreness, or sciatica in your lower back, with the right instruction (guided by a uniquely qualified practitioner or therapist) you CAN pinpoint the exact exercise and techniques that will provide you with amazing back pain relief.

If your current list of back pain exercises are not meeting your expectations, consider exploring some other, more beneficial options. You have nothing to lose but pain, and there’s no time like the present.

Related Posts:

• Chronic Back Pain: Key Causes & Back Pain Relief
• Herniated Disc and Sciatica Pain – What is the Connection?
• Sciatic Stretches Treating Sciatica Through Natural Means
• What Is Causing My Lower Back Pain?
• Labor: Should you get an epidural? – Part 1

The medical studies are alarming: during their lives, most people are affected by lower back pain. This medical condition is responsible for more incapacity and sick leave than any other is. Check out the fact:

Eight out of ten have suffered or will suffer from this debilitating aliment
Half of all people who experience lower back pain will have repeat attack within twelve months.

Lower back pain Acute or Chronic?

Acute lower back pain occurs suddenly. Very often, you will know exactly what causes it: an accident that jars your back, for instance, such as fall from a chair or a ladder. Or, you may simply stumble and pitch backwards to the ground.

Whatever the cause, you will probably strain and tear the ligaments, tendons and muscles in your lower back. All of these tissues are essential to your well-being, and any trauma affecting them produces severe pain.

A particularly severe accident will cause even more serious damage. This could be a fracture in the lumbar spine, or a break in the coccyx at the base of the spinal column. The pain from such injuries can be excruciating, as some of you may already know.

The cause of chronic pain, pain that continues for a long time or constantly recurs, can be more difficult to assess. It may cause by deterioration of the discs between the spines vertebrae. In other words, the discs may dry out, thereby allowing pressure to be placed on the nerves that run through the spine. The result is severe lower back pain, usually known as osteoarthritis.

Others suffer when the joints of the lower back become inflamed as rheumatoid arthritis enters their body. This condition is not only chronic, it steadily progresses through the system.
Another common cause of chronic lower back pain is osteoporosis, in which the bones of the spine become brittle and fragile because of hormonal changes or vitamin deficiencies.

Other causes of lower back pain

Spondylosis this occurs when the disc between the vertebrae of the spine distintegrate, allowing the vertebrae to rub against each other.

Sciatica degeneration of the spinal discs can also cause compression of the nerve roots in the lower back, resulting in intense pain.

Lumber spinal stenosis pressure on the spinal cord, a consequence of damage to the fiber that houses the cord, can lead to lumbar spinal stenosis. The most noticeable physical sign of this condition is the way that suffers must stand or sit with a hunched posture to ease the appealing pain.

Depression for 80% of those who have lower back pain, doctors cannot determine the cause. This adds to the depression that suffers often feel because they have no understanding or control of their disorder.

The CHI institute as recognized the desperate need for a consistent form of relief for lower back pain. Institute researchers studied the available remedies and learned from the practices of many different cultures and people, including the renowned qigong healers of Beijing, China. From these experiences, the institute began developing positive therapeutic solution to the problems of Lower Back Pain in both its forms, acute and chronic.

The first of these solutions, an infrasound massage device, was a tremendous success. But the CHI institute didnt stop there. Since pain therapy is a constantly developing field, the institute decided it was vital to continue the product evolution to find maximum pain relief.

As result of this continuing research, Sound Vitality, a division of the CHI institute, introduced the Infratonic 4.3 in 1997. This device was based on digital Chaos Therapy and proved to be a great help for anyone afflicted with the torture of lower back pain.

Is your life ruined by chronic or acute lower back pain? Visit http://www.vitalfoodstore.com

Related Posts:

• Here Are Some Arthritis Pain Relief Therapies
• Arthritis Pain Relief 101
• Joint Pain Relief – Part 1
• Arthritis Pain Relief Through Herbal Treatment
• Easy Guide To Arthritis Pain Relief – Tips, Facts, And Treatments

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.

Related Posts:

• Information on Sciatica and Causes
• What is Sciatica?
• Sciatica symptoms
• Sciatica: Managing pain
• Where Does it Hurt? Skeletomuscular Pain

Posture Slouching is when you drop your shoulder forward and your head downward. The tendency is for your back to work extra just to maintain your balance. As a result, it puts pressure on your vertebrae, which will likely cause your back to ache. Stop slouching and start to stand and seat straight. This will not only make your look good, it will also make you feel good.

Massage Therapy Massage helps relieve back pain, shin splints, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel type symptoms, neck stiffness, sciatica, bursitis, headaches, tennis elbow, and low back stiffness by treating trigger points. Trigger points are accretions of waste products in the region of a nerve receptor which manifest themselves in the forms of dull ache, hot or cold, harp pain, pins and needles, and tingling among others.

Exercise Your bones should carry your weight. But if your weight exceeds the carrying capacity, then you should be feeling pain right now. There are certain exercises that strengthen the bones. Meanwhile, loosing weight is another way to relieve the stress on your bone. People who are either obese or overweight and experiencing pain might not realize that the main contributor to the pain they feel is their weight.

Balneotherapy – “balneo” (from balneum) is a Latin word meaning bath. Balneotherapy is a kind of hydrotherapy that involves bathing in warm water or mineral water. Researches found that balneotherapy possesses significant beneficial effects for people experiencing body pain. Balneotherapy meanwhile should not be applied to people with heart condition unless supervised with primary care provider.

Sleeping position the best way to sleep is on your side with your knees bend with a pillow between your legs. For pregnant women who experience back pain, sleeping on the side would be the best remedy for it. Place a pillow under your abdomen to support its weight.

Vitamin D pain can be a manifestation of Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D can be found in fortified milk and cereals, soya milk, margarine, fish, and sunlight.

Hot and cold back pain can be alleviated by applying cold pack at their back. Other people find heat to be a source of relief. A combination of either hot or cold and massage would also work for other people. Trying out any of these would not do you harm so feel free to explore the possibilities of finding relief to either of them.

Rest at the office, an all day’s work would mean seating for long hours. This is okay if you are maintaining a good posture all throughout the day. However, the temptation to slouch is great that you completely forget you are slouching. After that, you complain about the pain at your back. Surprisingly, a few minutes of rest is all you need help remove the pain.

Related Posts:

• The safer solution to pain relief management
• Alternative therapies for arthritis – Part 4
• Arthritis Pain Relief: 5 Ways to Feeling Better
• Alternatives to NSAIDs for arthritis – Part 6
• Diagnosed With A Herniated Disc? Get The Facts On What Really Causes It And How To Get Relief

The pain brought upon by sciatica is usually a cause by considerable factors like compressions on the nerve roots, and inflammation of the disc material. It is possible to gain quick relief from such anti-inflammatory medications, as they help to reduce the swelling or the inflammation, therefore, pressure on the nerve roots also will be resolved.

As the initial sciatica pain sets in, anti-inflammatory medicines may be taken to manage and decrease the pain. Possible medications are ibuprofen drugs such as Nuprin, Motrin, and Advil. COX-2 inhibitors are another option to aid in reducing the pain.

Oral steroids for sciatica are also administered in more severe cases. These prescriptions provide pain relief. But take note that such medications can only be used for shorter periods of time only. Oral steroids for herniated disc include Medrol Dose Pak, methyprednisolone, and Predisone.

Aside from the oral steroids for sciatica, non-surgical treatments are also widely practiced, like physical therapies and exercises, chiropractic manipulation; cervical traction; activity modification, osteopathic medicine, bracing, medications and injections. Medical professionals who can diagnose above treatments are psychiatrists, family practitioner, osteopathic physician, spine surgeons, neurosurgeons, and neurologists- do not trust the judgment of anyone else. Physical therapists and chiropractors may also administer the non-surgical treatments as mentioned in the first part of this paragraph. The oral steroids for herniated disc should only be given by a healthcare professional, and needs to be accurately assessed before commencing.

To avoid the need for ongoing usage of the oral steroids for sciatica, exercises and physical therapies are beneficial and will provide a long term rehabilitation and hopefully a cure for the herniated disc problem. At the start of the program, the physical therapist may apply some modalities like ice or heat compress or ultrasound to decrease muscle spasm.

Other non-invasive mode of treatment is the cervical traction in which, it lifts off the pressure on the nerve roots. However, this is not guaranteed to work perfectly well for everybody and is completely reliant on the health condition and age of the patient suffering from the herniated disc. This is however a reasonably simple method to implement. A home traction kit device may be conveniently used by patients who respond positively to this form of treatment, to help them cope with the pain associated with a herniated disc.

Conclusion

The typical and often first recommended sciatica pain relief treatment is simply bed rest. But like any other medical conditions, herniated disc symptoms can be manifested in a lot of different ways, depending on the person and his/her lifestyle specifically related to exercise. In most serious conditions where nothing seemed to effectively work regardless of whatever techniques you applied, injections and oral steroids can be an option and should be explored. Implementing an ongoing system of physical strengthening exercises in conjunction with the steroids will see a remarkable improvement in most herniated disc conditions. Oral steroids for a herniated disc help with the pain and the swelling at the same time. If nothing is working and the pain of the herniated disc persists it may be well worth considering surgery as an option.

The decision to undergo surgery however depends greatly on the patients decision, with the help and support of the surgeon or with the attending doctor. It is always best to exhaust all forms of sciatica relief treatments before deciding on surgery.

Related Posts:

• Sciatica Pain Relief Tips
• Sciatica – The Cause And The Cure
• Information on Sciatica and Causes
• Back, Muscle and Joint, Sciatica Pain relief with Acupressure Mat
• Proper Sciatica Exercises to Reduce Sciatica Pain

In the United States alone, an estimated 31 million people suffer from back pain at any given time, and better than 50% of Americans report at least some back pain each and every year. Statistics indicate that around one third of Americans over the age of 18 have visited the doctor with back pain complaints within the last five years.

These statistics beg the question, “why do our backs hurt all the time”? The answer proves to be multifaceted. We suffer from chronic back and neck pain for a plethora of reasons; not the least of which is the fact that we spend most of our time sitting on our rear ends!

When you lead a sedentary lifestyle, your muscles and surrounding tissues begin to disintegrate and can actually atrophy. When this occurs, any kind of activity can create strain that causes chronic back pain. Your body depends on activity to remain healthy, but not just any activity, the right activity. You see, exercise helps to keep all the systems of your body working smoothly. That fact holds true for, not only your joints and muscles, but for your neurological and lymphatic systems as well. Let’s take a look at some other contributing factors to your chronic back and neck pain.

Nutritional forces that affect back pain come secondary to injury. That’s right, the foods you eat (and don’t eat) have a direct effect on your pain.

Many people try to eliminate all fats from their diet, but your body actually needs some fat to work properly. Too little fat in your diet will manifest itself as chronic pain in various areas of the body, including the back and neck.

Many people do their best to pack as much protein into their diet as possible. You may be surprised to learn that consuming too much protein can contribute to the development of ketoacidosis – a harmful physiological process that breaks down tissue, contributes to arthritis and, chronic back and neck pain!

Emotional strain can wreak havoc on your spine as well. Many people carry tension in their neck and back. If you’re among this group, you’re well aware that stress can manifest itself into serious chronic back pain.

The problems mentioned here are just drops in the bucket compared to the compiled list of factors that may be contributing to your pain.

Summing it up, your chronic back pain, your neck pain, your upper, lower, and middle back tension, your sciatica, and your aches in general can be directly contributed to a sedentary lifestyle, emotional strain, injury, and nutritional voids.

In short, everything you do can potentially contribute to your pain – on the flipside, everything you do can also contribute to your healing!

The good news is that there is hope for finding relief and help to get rid of your chronic back pain. A little time and effort geared towards learning more about the causes of your chronic back pain (and the best ways to eliminate that pain) can produce some awesome results.

After all, what could be more important than feeling great and living your life to the fullest as a result?

Related Posts:

• Uncover Why Your Back Pain Exercises Don’t Work and What Needs to be Done About it
• Alternative Relief for Arthritis Pain
• Psoriatic Arthritis Symptoms
• Here Are Some Arthritis Pain Relief Therapies
• Arthritis Pain Relief 101

Nothing is so painful as a sciatica nerve that is acting up. There is relief for sciatica and acupuncture is one way to get it.

Sciatica and Acupuncture

Sciatica is the name given to a painful condition that is characterized by pain that begins in the lower back and moves down the large sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back and down the back of the leg. There are several causes for this condition including inflammation of the nerve itself. In some cases, the condition is caused by overexertion, and sometimes it is caused by putting too much pressure on the nerve simply by sitting in a poor position.

The good news is that sciatica usually clears up on its own after a period of time. In a few rare cases, the condition becomes chronic. In most cases, the chronic conditions can be traced to actual traumatic damage to the lower back or spine or to the nerve itself. The treatment is usually centered on relief of the pain. Pain killers are given and rest is suggested.

Sciatica responds very well to acupuncture. Acupuncture has a very good record for the relief of unspecific pain and the reduction of inflammation. In fact, sciatica and acupuncture make such a good condition and treatment match that some people find that they can bring about some pain relief and quicker healing times with the mere application of acupressure to the correct points.

Sciatica is one of those ailments that really does seem to call for the use of alternative medicines. It is often treated by chiropractors as well as physical therapists. What makes acupuncture such a good choice for the treatment is that the diagnosis method of Traditional Chinese Medicine will look well past the pain, which it will see as merely a symptom, to the underlying cause. This will suggest a program of treatment that will include relief of pain and increased healing, but will also address an overall plan of diet, exercise, and herbal supplements designed to prevent its return.

Since most incidents of sciatica are not life threatening nor are they usually of long duration, the taking of chemical pain killers that might have side effects does not seem to be the most logical choice to one who cares about the overall health of his body. Acupuncture for the treatment of sciatica has the advantage of being safe and the virtually lack of adverse side effects seems to point to it as a saner choice.

Related Posts:

• Sciatica: How Can You Get Rid of Your Pain in the Butt?
• Looking for Pain Relief in Arthritis
• Alternative therapies for arthritis – Part 4
• Exercise Triggers for Sciatica
• Arthritis Pain Relief – Learn to Cure Arthritis Pain Naturally

Sciatica is a painful condition which can leave the sufferer almost unable to walk in severe attacks. The sufferer may find that walking is nigh on impossible and even taking a shower or using the toilet can be difficult. It is often an unpleasant side effect of pregnancy which occurs when the baby is laying on the Sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It begins from nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord, which is in the lower back region, and travels through the bottom area. The nerve endings then run down the legs.

Outside of pregnancy Sciatica usually occurs due to problems with the lower or Lumbar area of the spine. Often it is due to injury or deterioration of a disc or discs in the spine. An attack can flare up after sleeping on a different surface to normal or even from doing to much bending such as in intensive gardening.It is important to try and address any posture issues as good posture will certainly help. A good Chiropractor giving regular treatments may be able to prevent further intense attacks of Sciatica.

The one definite symptom of Sciatica is pain and often intense pain at that. So in general the symptoms may be:-

Lower back pain, or hip pain.

Pain running from the lower back or hip down the patient’s leg, often to as low as the calf. This pain can be almost a burning sensation with numbness or tingling radiating from the lower back down the back of the thigh to the back of the leg.

Muscle weakness and difficulty moving or walking .

The pain and symptoms generally affect only one side of the body, and the leg at the same side.

My personal experience of Sciatica found me initially suffering with a slight back pain, after a mad burst of Spring gardening. On waking the next day I found that the pain in my right leg and hip was so intense that I could hardly move. The only way that I could turn over in bed was to hang onto the headboard and gradually pull myself over. To get out of bed I then had to sort of roll onto my knees and gradually try to stand. For a day or two, even to wash myself properly I needed assistance. I ended up using a walking stick to help me get out of a chair or bed in a morning. Thankfully the symptoms subsided with time and responded to pain relief. Initially an attack of Sciatica may be aggravated by trying to bend at the waist or trying to walk. At this stage it will be all a person can do to rest and lie down. However, as with many back problems this lying down stage must be kept to a minimum or else, in the long run, it will do more harm than good.

Related Posts:

• What is Sciatica?
• Information on Sciatica and Causes
• Sciatica – The Cause And The Cure
• Sciatica symptoms – Part 2
• What Is Causing My Lower Back Pain?

Back pain is a major problem these days for people all over the western world. It has been estimated that at any one time 20% of the population suffer from lower back pain and that doesn’t take into account all the other forms like sciatica, upper back pain, mid back pain and neck pain. It is a huge interruption in a sufferers day to day life and costs the world billions of dollars in productivity.

Back pain is caused by numerous reasons, primarily muscle imbalances from injury, diet, obesity, posture, exercise and more.

Back pain treatments vary depending on the diagnosis of your pain and can vary from a passive mobilization, to drugs all the way to surgery .

There are various back pain relief measures both natural and pharmaceutical available. Chronic and severe back pain may require temporary medication to allow the acute back pain to settle. However if you take a natural healing approach along with the medication, you should get a better longer lasting result.

Sciatica is one type of back pain affecting a large number of people these days. It is characterized by pain in the hip and buttock region and sometime includes referred pain down the leg. This can go down one or both legs into the thigh, calf, ankle and foot. Stretching is often prescribed for back pain and sciatica but rarely provides any lasting relief .

Some natural steps for back pain relief are:

Lose Weight – Try to stay slim. If you have excess weight on your upper body, it will overload on your back. Practicing yoga or tai chi are natural ways of back pain treatment that can also assist with weight loss.

Eat Healthy – Vitamins and minerals are important for your overall health. So, try to eat as much healthy food as possible to help get rid of stress in your body and get relief from back pain.

Massage – Massage a common choice for people trying to get relief from back pain. It also acts as great stress reliever. But if you have acute back pain, do consult a skilled back pain therapist before going for a massage.

There are certain other techniques like yoga, exercise, massage acupuncture and chiropractic that prove to be effective back pain treatments for some sufferers. Others prefer to take medication prescribed by their doctor to lessen the irritation of back pain but they are not good for health. Adopting the natural approach to get back pain relief is therefore considered to be the most sensible approach to take if you can find someone skilled enough to do the job.

Related Posts:

• Back Pain Can be a Trouble
• Where Does it Hurt? Skeletomuscular Pain
• Physical Therapy for the Lower Back: How to Prevent and Treat Lower Back Pain
• Easy home remedies for pain relief
• Natural Relief From Arthritis Pain Using Alternatives To Medications

What it is

Sciatica is the name people give to a pain in the buttock, leg or foot brought on as a direct result of some form of irritation to the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It runs all the way from the lower back splitting at the base of the spine and terminating in the foot.

The discs which cushion the vertebrae in the lower back become progressively thinner and harder as we get older. This stresses the lower back and often causes a variety of lower back pain disorders, including sciatica.

Sciatica is usually caused by a prolapsed or ‘slipped’ disc bulging and pressing on to a nerve. It doesn’t usually cause permanent nerve damage since the spinal cord is not present in the lower part of the spine and a prolapsed or herniated disc in this area does not pose a risk of paralysis.

The cause

The most common cause of sciatica is a prolapsed (slipped) disc, pinched nerves or some form of arthritis. It usually starts with back pain which sometimes improves only to be followed by hamstring or calf pain. It may also include numbness in the toes depending on which branch of the sciatic nerve is irritated.

Piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve. The piriformis muscle is a small muscle behind the gluteus maximus. Piriformis syndrome is most common among women, runners and walkers.

Spinal stenosis is the name given to the narrowing of the nerve channel (vertebral canal) of the spine. This narrowing causes compression of either the spinal cord within the vertebral canal, or the nerve roots that exit the spinal cord. People with spinal stenosis experience sciatic pain symptoms in the legs and feet. It usually results from degenerative arthritis causing a narrowing of the spaces in the vertebral canal. Manual workers are more prone to developing symptoms of spinal stenosis but it seldom affects people under 30 years of age – unless it is due to traumatic injury to the vertebrae.

The spine is made up of a series of connected bones called “vertebrae.” Spondylolisthesis or isthmic spondylolisthesis occurs when a cracked vertebra slips over the vertebra below it. Poor posture and curvature of the back or weak abdominal muscles can contribute to this slippage, which can press on the nerve. The presence of this spondylolysis usually does not represent a dangerous condition in the adult and most treatments concentrate on pain relief and increasing the patient’s ability to function.

The Cure

Some cases of sciatica which result from inflammation get better with time and heal themselves perhaps within six weeks to three months.

Recent studies have shown that bed rest is not necessarily the best way to treat sciatica. It is better to remain active, starting off with some gentle stretching and exercise. Swimming is particularly useful, as it is not a weight bearing exercise. The good news is that herniated spinal discs usually do heal on their own, given time.

There are many different treatments for sciatica and it is important to discuss these with your health practitioner. Accurate diagnosis to determine the exact cause of sciatic pain is also equally important. The most conclusive diagnosis is usually gained by a having an MRI scan. However having said that skilled medical practitioners, and I include Osteopaths and Chiropractors, are often able to determine the suspected cause by carrying out a physical examination

Stretching and exercising are a must if you really want to progress along the road to rehabilitation and if you are in extreme pain this is probably the last thing you will contemplate doing.

Since getting mobile and becoming flexible is extremely important you might require some pain management to help you get going. For mild cases of sciatica your doctor may start off by recommending non prescription medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen, known as non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. A downside of these drugs is that they may cause stomach upsets or bleeding.

If your pain is not relieved by analgesics or NSAIDs, your doctor might prescribe narcotic analgesics (such as codeine) for a short time. Side effects of these include nausea, constipation, dizziness and drowsiness, and continued use may result in dependency.

Sciatic pain is usually nerve related and responds well to treatment with low doses of tricyclic anti-depressant drugs like amitriptyline, dothiepin, nortriptyline, lofepramine, desipramine, clomipramine or imipramine combined with acupuncture or the use of TENs machines. The low dosage of the tricyclic drug acts by closing a pain gate blocking the message to the brain.

Other medications like Corticosteroids taken orally or by injection are sometimes prescribed for more severe back and leg pain because of their very powerful anti-inflammatory effect. Corticosteroids also have side effects and the pros and cons of taking them should be fully discussed with your doctor.

In extreme cases spinal injections of corticosteroid into the epidural space (the area around the spinal nerves) or facet joint (between vertebrae) may be given. This is usually carried out by a specialist with follow up injections at a later date.

Other treatments to manage sciatica include traction; manipulation by a skilled osteopath, physio therapist or chiropractor; Chemonucleolysis (injection of a special enzyme into the disk).

There is a fairly new procedure called IDET which stands for Iintro Discal Electrothermy). When a disc is herniated the water content of the inflamed disc causes it to bulge and press against the nerve. IDET dries up the disc very quickly, in less than 20 minutes, a process which might take weeks or months if left to dry up naturally

As a last resort you may consider surgery to remove fragments of the prolapsed disc are then removed.

As I mentioned earlier it is important to stay active and continue with an exercise and stretching program. Especially do exercises to develop your back and stomach muscles. This will help stabilize your spine and support your body.

It is also important to maintain a reasonable body weight, ensure you have a good posture, sleep on a mattress that is neither too soft nor too hard, be careful when bending or lifting heavy weights.

This information in this article should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. You should always consult with your health care professional especially relating to the suitability of supplements or drugs and on all health matters that may require diagnosis or medical attention. If you suffer from progressive weakness in the leg or bladder or bowel incontinence this constitutes a medical emergency and you should seek immediate medical attention – you may have cauda equina syndrome a serious condition due to compression of the nerve roots in the lower end of the spinal canal.

Related Posts:

• What is Sciatica?
• Diagnosed With A Herniated Disc? Get The Facts On What Really Causes It And How To Get Relief
• The 4 main causes of Sciatica
• Sciatica symptoms
• Herniated Disc and Sciatica Pain – What is the Connection?