Treatments That May Help Your Sciatica Pain

If you have pain in your hip that radiates down your thigh or even all the way to your foot, you might have sciatica. Sciatica is a condition where your sciatic nerve is irritated due to compression by tissues or bones in your back. Your pain might come and go and get worse when you sit for a long time. Your pain might be so severe that it interferes with your ability to work. If you think you have sciatica, you should see a doctor or chiropractor to get a certain diagnosis and effective treatment. Here are some things that might help.

Hot And Cold Therapy

If your pain is caused by inflamed tissues pressing against your sciatic nerve, then ice may help reduce swelling, which will, in turn, help relieve your pain. Try placing an ice pack on your lower back and hip for several minutes at a time whenever your pain flares up.

Heat therapy helps improve blood flow to the damaged tissues so they can heal more quickly. You might try placing a heating pad or hot water bottle on your lower back. Your chiropractor may use an ultrasound machine to get the same effect. The sound waves emitted by the machine create heat in your tissues that stimulates blood flow.

Spinal Adjustments

If your spine is out of alignment due to injury, chronic poor posture, or bad body mechanics, your chiropractor may recommend you have spinal adjustment treatments for your sciatica. If the bones in your spine pinch the sciatic nerve, this will cause irritation, inflammation, and pain. By bringing the structures in your spine back into alignment with a series of body manipulations, your chiropractor may be able to stop the nerve compression and heal your pain. However, you'll probably need several treatments over a period of weeks to get lasting results.

Exercises And Massage

Stretching the muscles in your lower back can relieve the pressure on your sciatic nerve. Your chiropractor can teach you different stretching exercises to do daily at home that will aid in your recovery. Also, doing core exercises will help strengthen the muscles that stabilize your spine and lower back. Strong muscles may help prevent a return of sciatic pain in the future.

Another treatment option to consider is massage therapy. A deep tissue massage will release tension held in the trigger points of your muscles. This is helpful when the tension in your muscles contributes to nerve compression. In addition, a massage helps relax your body and mind, which helps relieve the stress of dealing with daily pain.

The benefit of seeing a chiropractor over a traditional doctor for treatment of your sciatica is that you will have several treatment options available that do not include drugs or surgery. No matter what type of treatment you choose, it may take weeks for your irritated nerve to heal and to correct the underlying cause of your sciatica, so it's a good idea to set an appointment as early as a possible at a clinic like Black Horse Chiropractic. 

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