Treatment For Sciatica
For most people who experience sciatica, the good news is that it usually gets better on its own. With over the counter pain medication and regular exercise and stretching, the pain will usually go away in time. The healing process typically takes only a few days or a couple weeks. Those who experience flare ups of sciatica nerve pain need to seek a doctors advice so that management of the condition can be started so that it does not worsen over time. Those whose pain is severe and does not get better on its own a more structured pain management program or possible surgery may be the best approach to finding pain relief and preventing future episodes of sciatica.
There are a number of non surgical back pain sciatica treatments that you can do from your own home. One is cold and heat therapy. At the first onset of pain, applying ice or heat for about 20 minutes will help relieve the pain. Repeating the process every 2 hours will continue the relief.
There are many over the counter medications that can help in pain relief. No steroidal anti inflammatory drugs such as Advil, or Aleve can be very useful in pain management. Oral steroids have also been proven very helpful in reducing the inflammation, which is a contributing factor in sciatica.
Epidural injects are most often used in the treatment of severe radicular pain, also known as sciatica. Sciatica is the pain that radiates from the site of a pinched nerve in the lower back to the area of the body aligned with that nerve, usually the back of the leg or down into the foot. Inflammatory chemicals are often the generators of the pain that is associated with common back problems such as lumbar disc herniation or joint arthritis. These common conditions, along with many others aggravate inflammation that can turn into severe nerve root irritation and swelling. The steroids from an injection restrain the inflammatory response that is caused by chemical and mechanical of severe pain.
There are several alternative back pain sciatica treatments that have been proven to provide effective back pain sciatica treatment for many patients. Acupuncture is one of the more common alternative treatments for sciatica relief. Hair thin needles are inserted into the skin near the area of pain, and left in place for up to an hour. Massage therapy is another form of alternative treatment for sciatica. Many forms of massage therapy have been shown to increase blood circulation, provide muscle relaxation and release endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain relievers. Chiropractic is another form of alternative treatment, which has been proven to help in manage sciatica pain. Chiropractors focus on providing better spinal column alignment, which in turn should help to tackle and address any underlying conditions that could be the cause of sciatic nerve pain.
Physical therapy and exercise along with a doctor’s advice and care will help to alleviate sciatica and prevent it from reoccurring. |