Home Treatment and Sciatica

Suffering with constant pain can be very depressing, and it can affect your daily activities. Back pain from muscle strain is quite different from sciatica pain. This may be hard to understand if you have never suffered from sciatica, and those who have experienced sciatic nerve pain will certainly agree that it can make life miserable.

What is sciatica? Pain that is generally on one side of the buttucks that may run down the back of the leg and into the foot. The sciatic nerve extends from the lower back all the way down the back of the thighs and legs. When something irritates this large nerve, you will feel pain that may be mild or severe depending on how badly the nerve root is affected.

For example, a bulging disc may press against the sciatic nerve root and cause pain and discomfort. If the disc heals, the pain may subside. On the other hand, a herniated disc that ruptures may cause chronic sciatic pain that does not go away. Heavy lifting, bad posture, accidents and other health conditions may cause sciatica. The spine is very complex.

How can you tell the difference between muscle pain and sciatica? In my opinion, you cannot until you suffer from it because the pain can start in the buttocks, run down the back of the leg, and even into the foot. You may not feel any pain in the lower back area or it may be very mild, but the pain in the buttocks or legs may be severe. This is what makes it confusing.

At the onset of lower back pain, applying ice or moist heat may be helpful. Apply the ice or heat for about fifteen minutes at a time, sometimes alternating between heat and cold can be effective. Although, you might find lying down eases the pain, after a day or two of bed rest if you are still in pain or if the pain worsens you should consult a doctor. Before attempting any type of home treatment, consult with your doctor. If you are suffering from sciatica, an alternative to prescription pain medications is home treatment.

Home Treatment for Sciatica
As an alternative to pain medication, you can try drinking elderberry tea, which is a natural muscle relaxant and pain reliever. Drink plenty of water, this helps circulation and can be effective at relieving sciatica.

Daily exercise can be very helpful, as much as you can tolerate without further injury or pain. There are exercises and stretches that you can do daily.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, keep your feet flat and gently press your lower back against the bed or floor. Count to ten slowly, while pressing the back and then relax. Repeat this as often as tolerable, and increase the repetitions over time.

Lie on your back in the same position and grab one knee with both hands, gently pull your knee towards your chest and hold; count to ten, relax and repeat.

Again, lie in the same position on your back, and while holding the ends of a towel or pillow case slip the center under the arch of one foot. Make sure your other leg is bent at the knee and the foot is flat. Gently pull the towel towards your upper body as far as you can and hold it for a count of ten, relax and repeat.

These are a few easy to do exercises, do them on a daily basis. They will help ease sciatic pain when done properly on a regular basis. Controlling sciatic pain with home treatment can be effective, but always consult a doctor before attempting any home remedies to rule out the possibility of more serious medical conditions.