By Al Wyles
Sciatica can be a reaction to another issue, not really medical condition alone. It is very real, scary, and genuine. It is sometimes diagnosed and treated utilizing a Chiropractor, who specialises in the realignment of your spine. It might be diagnosed via a medical and physical exam, and whilst sciatica is often mild, people battling with Sciatica are very uncomfortable understandably.
It's really a condition that occurs to the longest nerve belonging to the body. An extreme reason behind this can be tumours impinging on the spinal cord or even nerve roots. Sciatica can be the consequence of combined quantity of symptoms brought about by diverse problems within the spine.
This is a not unheard of disorder and approximately 40% of the population will suffer eventually during their lives. Sciatica is often a right pain in the backside, and is an ailment that involves pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the back and legs. Pain may graduate towards toes and then in these cases sometimes prolonged rest is definitely a solution.
It will be also revealed utilizing a neuromuscular examination of the legs by a physician. Sciatica is just one of those ailments that really do frequently require the usage of alternative medicines.
Pain may occur instantly or gradually, increasing over several hours. Sciatica could happen once the nerve inside the lower spine becomes pinched, or if there is a slipped disk
Sciatica however, is most often the actual result of a practice of bending badly along with the wrong places. For quite a while Sciatica treatment has focused excessively on symptoms instead of the actual condition inducing the problem. There are many different styles of sciatica treatment available nowadays and it might be mainly divided in to the treatment at home, or clinic and hospital based treatments.
Probably the most important criteria to look at in almost any treatment solutions are to keep correct posture continually, because your treatment will take effect much quicker also, the results will be long-lasting. In practically all the instances, the condition is often curable without going to the option of surgery being a final measure.
In doing my research I came across that there were many people that have difficulties with severe back and hip pain I really thought I would create a website for individuals that are looking for to know a little more about sciatica causes, symptoms and also to how get hold of sciatica treatment information. Sciatica could be a horrendous experience, particularly if you don't realize what exactly is happening.
http://goarticles.com/article/Sciatica-A-Pain-In-The-Back-Or-A-Pain-In-The-Neck/4581025/
Thursday 18 December 2014
Tuesday 9 December 2014
Do steroid injections for sciatica pain help?
By Linda Searing
THE QUESTION When other treatments don’t seem to ease the pain, people with leg and lower back pain from sciatica sometimes opt for an injection of steroids. How effective is this treatment, which involves injecting medication into the area around the spine known as the epidural space, which cushions the nerves and spinal cord?
THIS STUDY analyzed data from 23 studies, involving 2,334 people with sciatica who had been randomly assigned to epidural injections with a corticosteroid (methylprednisolone, prednisone/prednisolone, triamcinolone or betamethasone) or a placebo. Compared with the placebo group, those who got steroid injections reported no difference in low-back pain but slightly less leg pain (six points lower, on average, on a 100-point standardized scale) and disability (three points lower) in the short term (two weeks to three months). After a year or more, virtually no difference was found between the steroid epidural and the placebo groups in leg or back pain or in disability.
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People with sciatica, pain that usually starts in the lower back and radiates down into the thigh and leg, often accompanied by weakness, numbness or a tingling feeling. It stems from a problem with the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back into each leg and controls leg muscles and feeling; it can be caused by an injury that puts pressure on the nerve or by the general wear and tear of aging.
CAVEATS Data on pain were based on the participants’ perceptions. The study did not report on possible risks from the injections; at least 34 people have died and 490 have been sickened in a recent outbreak of fungal meningitis among people who had gotten epidural steroid injections.
Sunday 7 December 2014
Back Problems Leading To Sciatica Pain
By Neil Jones
Often people ignore back and leg pains until they become severe enough to merit attention. While not all back pains or leg pains will be serious and can be treated easily, some may require extended medical treatment. If you are suffering from leg pain and possibly some numbness or weakness that starts from the low back, through the buttock and down your leg, you could be suffering from sciatica.
Usually, large majorities of people who do experience sciatica get better in time but it is always best to get medical treatment and undergo therapy in time.
What is Sciatica?
Usually, large majorities of people who do experience sciatica get better in time but it is always best to get medical treatment and undergo therapy in time.
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is usually the condition caused by irritation to the sciatic nerves. Sciatic Nerves are one of the largest in our bodies and start from the base of the lumbar spice. They run through either side, through the buttocks and then down the legs, going all the way to the feet. If the roots of these sciatic nerves are pinched, pain is felt not only in the back but also the buttocks and lower legs.
What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?
When the sciatica nerve root gets compressed, pain starts affecting all the areas that the nerve runs through. The pain could be dull or even sharp at times, at times there is just a burning feeling. This is usually accompanied by some shooting pain starting in the buttock going down the leg or the back of the thigh. At times, rather than actual pain, there is just a tingling or sense of numbness. It may prove to be difficult to stand up and even coughing or sneezing aggravates the pain.
What Are the Problems Causing Sciatica Pain?
What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?
When the sciatica nerve root gets compressed, pain starts affecting all the areas that the nerve runs through. The pain could be dull or even sharp at times, at times there is just a burning feeling. This is usually accompanied by some shooting pain starting in the buttock going down the leg or the back of the thigh. At times, rather than actual pain, there is just a tingling or sense of numbness. It may prove to be difficult to stand up and even coughing or sneezing aggravates the pain.
What Are the Problems Causing Sciatica Pain?
Most of the times, sciatica is caused by what is commonly referred to as "slipped disc". The disc in this case refers to the discs that form part of our spine and act as shock absorbers for all the heavy work that the spine has to do. When we bend or twist, the pressure on these discs increases. At times, when there is a sudden, violent twisting movement or one is carrying a very heavy load that adds tremendously to the pressure on the discs, the soft center in the discs pushes through the outer cover. This bulge then starts to press against the sciatic nerve roots nearby causing pain, numbness and a general sense of weakness in the limbs.
There are other causes that could lead to irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve leading to sciatic pain. These include aging, which causes part of the spine to become rough and enlarged. At times, though very rarely, infections and tumors could be found to cause the problems.
How can Sciatica Pain be treated?
How can Sciatica Pain be treated?
Most sciatica pain can be treated with simple painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications, followed by physical therapy and rest. Only in very severe cases, is surgery suggested as a remedy for sciatica pain.
If you are suffering from lower back pain or leg pain, seek advise from your doctor and treat sciatica immediately for early relief.
Thursday 4 December 2014
10 Tips for People With Back Pain That Most People Don't Know
By Kerry Tarvin
Here are a few tips for those suffering with back pain and want some answers:
1- Low back pain is the #1 reason people seek treatment of any kind. If that is true, You should have a chiropractor as part of your health care team. All professional sports teams employ chiropractors as part of their team due to their ability to reduce injury frequency and duration. Even the Olympic teams have chiropractors on staff.
2- Determine if movement ultimately makes you feel better or worse. If you feel better after moving some, even if there is some mild to moderate pain in the beginning, then careful movements should be part of your routine to get better. Keep in mind, if some movements help, it does not mean a lot will be better. DO NOT OVER EXERCISE! The joints of the spine are known as "Synovial Joints" and this means the joints have a synovial secretion that lubricates the joint. Movement helps spread this fluid over the joint. This is a good thing.
3- Rest: There is generally confusion over this tip. If you have hurt your back exercising, lifting weights, at work lifting, gardening or moving furniture, etc... It is a good idea to let the muscle rest from those type activities. Many times injury occurs when muscle have gotten tired and you are lifting with bad posture. So if your a truck driver and your back hurts it will be aggravated by bouncing along in a semi. After a few hours to a day of rest however, you should start testing certain movements like stated above in tip 2. If you rest a sore low back too long you will wind up with a sore low back and a weak low back. Not good!
4- OTC Meds: Over the counter meds usually refer to Aspirin, Advil, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Alleve, etc... These are known as NSAIDS. They offer a relatively low cost pain reliever. One must realize that these medications are not meant to be taken past 7-10 days. They also disrupt the normal healing process and cause lower quality and weaker scar tissue to be laid down over the injury. This potentially could lead to additional injury in the future. If you have an injury that should be treated and rehabilitated, these medicines may lessen your pain, causing delay in real treatment, until you have a much more significant problem requiring surgery. This, because you ignored the problem, because you were able to numb it up. Be Careful of this. You would never do this with cancer or an infection, why would you do it and potentially damage your nervous system or joints?
5- Exercises and Stretches: General strengthening is almost always good to a "Bad Back". If you have low back pain you should try to stretch your low back, leg muscles and hips. You can look at some stretches I will post but it is also good to go to YouTube and watch a video of how to do certain stretches properly. Muscles commonly involved are piriformis muscles, hamstrings, quadraceps, abdominal weakness, etc...
6- Massage:Generally massage is a good therapy to add to any low back patient. After ruling our contra-indications, massage can usually relieve pain from a mild strain or tightened muscle. Many low back pains are directly related to muscle being in spasm.
7- What type doctor to see? This too can be confusing. You may love your primary care doctor and feel he is the person to see. But most primary care medical doctors have extremely limited formal training with back pain. They see tons of patients with back pain as it is a common reason to see a doctor, but they often prescribe a narcotic, anti-inflamatory or muscle relaxer. This in many cases covers up the problem and fixes nothing. A doctor of Osteopathy may have additional training regarding the back but may also have specialized in a field where he never treats this type problem with anything other than meds. A neurosurgeon and an orthopedist has additional training to treat back and joint related problems. There method of treatment revolves around medication, physical therapy and surgery. They rarely do the physical therapy but make referrals for this to be done. The flaw in this is that they are the doctors with the ability to diagnose and yet they send an order for the physical therapist to follow. The physical therapist cannot diagnose and yet they are the one with all the training in how best to treat with physical therapy. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Chiropractors are licensed physicians in all states and in most countries. Chiropractors specialize in neuro-musculo-skeletal (Back, nerve, joint, muscle related injuries) type injuries. You family practice doctor may see a wide range of complaints from prostate to the common cold. But a chiropractor will specialize in these back related pain syndromes. You may trust your family doctor implicitly, but would you let him give you new prescription for your eyes? Or do back surgery on you, or set your broken arm. The answer would be no, because it is NOT HIS SPECIALTY!! Seek the chiropractor for back and nerves related issues first!
8- Acupuncture: Acupuncture has been proven to help many type of pain syndromes including the most common Low back pain. Acupuncture is scary as a treatment to many because we have all had "NEEDLES" stuck in us by someone giving us a shot or taking blood. Needles used for injections or taking blood are hollow and cut through the skin causing pain. Needles used for acupuncture are solid called fusiform needles and they do not cut the skin. It is rare for them to be painful and they rarely cause bleeding. Any sensation is usually mild and very helpful for pain syndromes.
9- Spinal Decompression: There is an older therapy that has been updated with computers called Spinal Decompression. The old name was traction, but with improvements along the way, it offers comfortable stretching of the low back that can relieve disc problems, sciatica, chronic back pain, sacro-iliac problems etc. I have used spinal decompression in my office for over 15 years and have helped thousands. Some were scheduled for surgery and afterwards were back to the gym working out after cancelling any surgical procedure.
10- Water: Living in Colorado Springs at 6500 feet elevation can dry your body out. I have seen many young people with degenerative disc disease primarily due to dehydration affecting the disc. The disc is made up of 75-80% water. Get dehydrated and your discs cannot handle the normal stresses we put it under. Why are so many people (Young people) having dehydration of the discs? Well in our society we drink a lot of substances but rarely water. Beer, coffee, soft drinks and sweetened drinks tend to dehydrate you. If you want to be healthier in all aspects of life and have a healthier back, stop drinking beer, alcohol, tea, coffee, or any other substance that can dehydrate you more than you drink water. Don't think you are getting water by drinking tea (just because tea has water) as the other stuff in tea causes dehydration.
If your back pain lasts longer than a couple days, do yourself a favor and get it checked out. A chiropractor is the primary doctor who specializes in treating back pain and has the necessary tools to evaluate you completely. Your doctor of chiropractic can adjust any fixation or misalignment of your spine, give you home exercises and keep your back healthy through his expert advice.
http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Tips-for-People-With-Back-Pain-That-Most-People-Dont-Know&id=8685195
Here are a few tips for those suffering with back pain and want some answers:
1- Low back pain is the #1 reason people seek treatment of any kind. If that is true, You should have a chiropractor as part of your health care team. All professional sports teams employ chiropractors as part of their team due to their ability to reduce injury frequency and duration. Even the Olympic teams have chiropractors on staff.
2- Determine if movement ultimately makes you feel better or worse. If you feel better after moving some, even if there is some mild to moderate pain in the beginning, then careful movements should be part of your routine to get better. Keep in mind, if some movements help, it does not mean a lot will be better. DO NOT OVER EXERCISE! The joints of the spine are known as "Synovial Joints" and this means the joints have a synovial secretion that lubricates the joint. Movement helps spread this fluid over the joint. This is a good thing.
3- Rest: There is generally confusion over this tip. If you have hurt your back exercising, lifting weights, at work lifting, gardening or moving furniture, etc... It is a good idea to let the muscle rest from those type activities. Many times injury occurs when muscle have gotten tired and you are lifting with bad posture. So if your a truck driver and your back hurts it will be aggravated by bouncing along in a semi. After a few hours to a day of rest however, you should start testing certain movements like stated above in tip 2. If you rest a sore low back too long you will wind up with a sore low back and a weak low back. Not good!
4- OTC Meds: Over the counter meds usually refer to Aspirin, Advil, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Alleve, etc... These are known as NSAIDS. They offer a relatively low cost pain reliever. One must realize that these medications are not meant to be taken past 7-10 days. They also disrupt the normal healing process and cause lower quality and weaker scar tissue to be laid down over the injury. This potentially could lead to additional injury in the future. If you have an injury that should be treated and rehabilitated, these medicines may lessen your pain, causing delay in real treatment, until you have a much more significant problem requiring surgery. This, because you ignored the problem, because you were able to numb it up. Be Careful of this. You would never do this with cancer or an infection, why would you do it and potentially damage your nervous system or joints?
5- Exercises and Stretches: General strengthening is almost always good to a "Bad Back". If you have low back pain you should try to stretch your low back, leg muscles and hips. You can look at some stretches I will post but it is also good to go to YouTube and watch a video of how to do certain stretches properly. Muscles commonly involved are piriformis muscles, hamstrings, quadraceps, abdominal weakness, etc...
6- Massage:Generally massage is a good therapy to add to any low back patient. After ruling our contra-indications, massage can usually relieve pain from a mild strain or tightened muscle. Many low back pains are directly related to muscle being in spasm.
7- What type doctor to see? This too can be confusing. You may love your primary care doctor and feel he is the person to see. But most primary care medical doctors have extremely limited formal training with back pain. They see tons of patients with back pain as it is a common reason to see a doctor, but they often prescribe a narcotic, anti-inflamatory or muscle relaxer. This in many cases covers up the problem and fixes nothing. A doctor of Osteopathy may have additional training regarding the back but may also have specialized in a field where he never treats this type problem with anything other than meds. A neurosurgeon and an orthopedist has additional training to treat back and joint related problems. There method of treatment revolves around medication, physical therapy and surgery. They rarely do the physical therapy but make referrals for this to be done. The flaw in this is that they are the doctors with the ability to diagnose and yet they send an order for the physical therapist to follow. The physical therapist cannot diagnose and yet they are the one with all the training in how best to treat with physical therapy. Seems counter-intuitive to me. Chiropractors are licensed physicians in all states and in most countries. Chiropractors specialize in neuro-musculo-skeletal (Back, nerve, joint, muscle related injuries) type injuries. You family practice doctor may see a wide range of complaints from prostate to the common cold. But a chiropractor will specialize in these back related pain syndromes. You may trust your family doctor implicitly, but would you let him give you new prescription for your eyes? Or do back surgery on you, or set your broken arm. The answer would be no, because it is NOT HIS SPECIALTY!! Seek the chiropractor for back and nerves related issues first!
8- Acupuncture: Acupuncture has been proven to help many type of pain syndromes including the most common Low back pain. Acupuncture is scary as a treatment to many because we have all had "NEEDLES" stuck in us by someone giving us a shot or taking blood. Needles used for injections or taking blood are hollow and cut through the skin causing pain. Needles used for acupuncture are solid called fusiform needles and they do not cut the skin. It is rare for them to be painful and they rarely cause bleeding. Any sensation is usually mild and very helpful for pain syndromes.
9- Spinal Decompression: There is an older therapy that has been updated with computers called Spinal Decompression. The old name was traction, but with improvements along the way, it offers comfortable stretching of the low back that can relieve disc problems, sciatica, chronic back pain, sacro-iliac problems etc. I have used spinal decompression in my office for over 15 years and have helped thousands. Some were scheduled for surgery and afterwards were back to the gym working out after cancelling any surgical procedure.
10- Water: Living in Colorado Springs at 6500 feet elevation can dry your body out. I have seen many young people with degenerative disc disease primarily due to dehydration affecting the disc. The disc is made up of 75-80% water. Get dehydrated and your discs cannot handle the normal stresses we put it under. Why are so many people (Young people) having dehydration of the discs? Well in our society we drink a lot of substances but rarely water. Beer, coffee, soft drinks and sweetened drinks tend to dehydrate you. If you want to be healthier in all aspects of life and have a healthier back, stop drinking beer, alcohol, tea, coffee, or any other substance that can dehydrate you more than you drink water. Don't think you are getting water by drinking tea (just because tea has water) as the other stuff in tea causes dehydration.
If your back pain lasts longer than a couple days, do yourself a favor and get it checked out. A chiropractor is the primary doctor who specializes in treating back pain and has the necessary tools to evaluate you completely. Your doctor of chiropractic can adjust any fixation or misalignment of your spine, give you home exercises and keep your back healthy through his expert advice.
http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Tips-for-People-With-Back-Pain-That-Most-People-Dont-Know&id=8685195
Thursday 20 November 2014
Stress - The Physical Effects on Your Body
By Celine Healy
http://ezinearticles.com/?Stress---The-Physical-Effects-on-Your-Body&id=8719433
As a species we are constantly bombarded with stress triggers daily, from our work environment, our family life, our lack of resources, lack of money, lack of skills, lack of self-esteem, lack of self-worth, being criticised by our bosses or our partners, and so on. As a thinking, feeling species, we tend to store the emotional effects of theses stresses in our bodies, in our organs, tissues, muscles or our bones, and our spine. The unfortunate thing about this is that we no longer have the instant ability to counter these stress responses and turn of our stress trigger mechanism.
Even though our societies may have progressed our bodies are still primarily built to be hunter-gatherers. Initially our main stress response trigger was that we were in danger of being hunted by wild beasts, killed or eaten, as we also did, to those animals. These stresses were very clearly delineated. These were the only type of stresses that we came across. Because of this our stress trigger mechanism of fight or flight was very simple, and that is precisely what we did and how we reacted: we either fought the beast or we thought better of it and fled. This means that our stress trigger mechanism could be shut off pretty easily after our initial reaction. These reactions were not stored in our bodies and we easily got on with life.
Unfortunately, due to the complicated nature of our societies, the rules and regulations about what to do, what to say, when, where and why, has lead to a situation in which has evolved many and varied opportunities for stress responses.
This means that the sympathetic (turn it on) and the parasympathetic (turns it off) nervous systems are in a constant state of flux, on, off, on, off. We lose the ability to shut down and recuperate. Why this is so is because both of these body systems are attached to and affect the spine and the nerves, as all nerves spring from the spine. So, if we are constantly responding to stress triggers and we are storing these emotional effects in our bodies somewhere, then eventually our nervous system, our brains and our spine will become blocked or distorted in some way. When this has occurred sufficiently then inflammation can occur which can lead to disease or permanent damage of our spines.
In order to be free of the physical aspects of daily stress on our spines and nerves we should be on the look-out for the signs and symptoms of the commencement of disease and damaging wear and tear on our spines.
The types of issues to look out for include: sore throats, shortness of breath, pain in the arms, stiff neck, pins and needles, dizziness, shoulder pain, meniere's disease, rib pain, liver conditions, fevers, stomach pain, bladder conditions, menstrual problems, sciatica, back aches, frequent urination, cramps, spinal curvature, pain at the base of the spine on sitting, and so on.
All of these symptoms, and so many more, indicate that there have been compromising effects of stress held within the body and which are now affecting the spine and the nerves.
From an holistic point of view this means that your base chakra has been affected and you need to look at the structure of your life and your environment to see if you need to change what you are doing, physically, in order to maintain a healthy body/mind. The base chakra houses aspects of family of original issues, security, belonging, dependence and independence and so on. When your nerves and your spine show signs of wear and tear then this will affect every aspect of your being.
Physical health and well-being comes first in the steps to maintain a balanced life.
Even though our societies may have progressed our bodies are still primarily built to be hunter-gatherers. Initially our main stress response trigger was that we were in danger of being hunted by wild beasts, killed or eaten, as we also did, to those animals. These stresses were very clearly delineated. These were the only type of stresses that we came across. Because of this our stress trigger mechanism of fight or flight was very simple, and that is precisely what we did and how we reacted: we either fought the beast or we thought better of it and fled. This means that our stress trigger mechanism could be shut off pretty easily after our initial reaction. These reactions were not stored in our bodies and we easily got on with life.
Unfortunately, due to the complicated nature of our societies, the rules and regulations about what to do, what to say, when, where and why, has lead to a situation in which has evolved many and varied opportunities for stress responses.
This means that the sympathetic (turn it on) and the parasympathetic (turns it off) nervous systems are in a constant state of flux, on, off, on, off. We lose the ability to shut down and recuperate. Why this is so is because both of these body systems are attached to and affect the spine and the nerves, as all nerves spring from the spine. So, if we are constantly responding to stress triggers and we are storing these emotional effects in our bodies somewhere, then eventually our nervous system, our brains and our spine will become blocked or distorted in some way. When this has occurred sufficiently then inflammation can occur which can lead to disease or permanent damage of our spines.
In order to be free of the physical aspects of daily stress on our spines and nerves we should be on the look-out for the signs and symptoms of the commencement of disease and damaging wear and tear on our spines.
The types of issues to look out for include: sore throats, shortness of breath, pain in the arms, stiff neck, pins and needles, dizziness, shoulder pain, meniere's disease, rib pain, liver conditions, fevers, stomach pain, bladder conditions, menstrual problems, sciatica, back aches, frequent urination, cramps, spinal curvature, pain at the base of the spine on sitting, and so on.
All of these symptoms, and so many more, indicate that there have been compromising effects of stress held within the body and which are now affecting the spine and the nerves.
From an holistic point of view this means that your base chakra has been affected and you need to look at the structure of your life and your environment to see if you need to change what you are doing, physically, in order to maintain a healthy body/mind. The base chakra houses aspects of family of original issues, security, belonging, dependence and independence and so on. When your nerves and your spine show signs of wear and tear then this will affect every aspect of your being.
Physical health and well-being comes first in the steps to maintain a balanced life.
Physical health needs to be maintained in order to have a balanced healthy life. An easy way to check your structure is to have a chiropractic health check. Well-being comprises an holistic approach, including emotional, physical mental and spiritual. Addressing one aspect without the others can lead to a distorted view.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Stress---The-Physical-Effects-on-Your-Body&id=8719433
Monday 10 November 2014
When You Need Sciatica Pain Relief
By Jeff Parks
Pain caused by sciatica is felt deep inside the leg and can be incredibly crippling. Sciatica can also cause tingling, numbness or weakness in the leg or a sharp burning feeling all of which are uncomfortable. Achieving sciatica pain relief permanently involves targeting the cause of the sciatica and treating the cause, otherwise pain alleviation may only be temporary.
Sciatica refers to damage or pressure involving the sciatic nerve which is the largest nerve in the body. It runs from the bottom of the spine, through the hip joint, knee and ankle. Damage or pressure on the sciatic nerve can be caused by a variety of reasons and needs to be investigated in order for sciatica pain relief to be obtained on a permanent basis.
Temporary sciatica pain relief can involve taking anti-inflammatory medication or pain killers. In more serious cases cortisone injections may be administered. Placing hot or cold ice packs on the painful area as well resting the affected area may also be recommended to aid in reducing inflammation and help with alleviating pain.
However sciatica, which is a type of neuralgia, is often considered a symptom of a cause. Sciatica can be as a result of many things including piriformis syndrome, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, slipped or herniated disk, tumors, osteoporosis, and pregnancy among others. Many of these causes of sciatica are further caused by other factors. Each of these causes needs to be looked at carefully in order to treat sciatica and help with sciatica pain relief on a more permanent basis if the pain does not ease up.
Often physical therapists can be recommended for sciatica pain relief as they can help with stretches and strengthening exercises that may target some of the sciatica causes. Piriformis syndrome can be relieved by stretching the tense piriformis muscle and strengthening the surrounding gluteal muscles to give the hip area support, taking strain off the piriformis muscle and ultimately the sciatic nerve. When sciatica is caused by back problems such as a herniated disk or spondylolisthesis, strengthening the muscles in the lower back will help relieve any pressure on the sciatic nerve which has been placed on it due to weakness in the back. A herniated disk refers to when a disk in the back has slipped or pushed on to the muscle from straining the back, a sports injury or moving in an unusual way. Spondylolisthesis refers to a vertebra slipping onto another vertebra. Physical therapists may also recommend massaging around the area where the cause of the sciatica is to relieve muscle tension, which may also aid sciatica pain relief.
In more extreme cases of sciatica when the pain can not be kept at bay and someone suffers from it continuously, surgery may be considered as a way to treat the cause of the sciatica. If spinal stenosis is the cause, which refers to a narrowing of the spinal canal, surgery may be a way to physically take pressure off the spinal cord and ultimately the lower back, relieving pressure on the sciatic nerve and promoting sciatica pain relief. Surgery may also be used to physically loosen the pirformis muscle, undoing its hold on the sciatic nerve as well as repairing the vertebra that has slipped onto another vertebra in the case of spondylolisthesis. It may also be a way to remove a possible tumor, which could be pushing on the sciatic nerve. However surgery would be a last resort as a means of alleviating sciatica pain and help with sciatica pain relief.
Sciatica pain relief can be achieved temporarily with painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication as well as hot packs and ice packs. However if the pain increases, it is recommended that you consult your physician immediately to locate the cause of the sciatica and target it to achieve ultimate sciatica pain relief.
http://ezinearticles.com/?When-You-Need-Sciatica-Pain-Relief&id=6178980
Pain caused by sciatica is felt deep inside the leg and can be incredibly crippling. Sciatica can also cause tingling, numbness or weakness in the leg or a sharp burning feeling all of which are uncomfortable. Achieving sciatica pain relief permanently involves targeting the cause of the sciatica and treating the cause, otherwise pain alleviation may only be temporary.
Sciatica refers to damage or pressure involving the sciatic nerve which is the largest nerve in the body. It runs from the bottom of the spine, through the hip joint, knee and ankle. Damage or pressure on the sciatic nerve can be caused by a variety of reasons and needs to be investigated in order for sciatica pain relief to be obtained on a permanent basis.
Temporary sciatica pain relief can involve taking anti-inflammatory medication or pain killers. In more serious cases cortisone injections may be administered. Placing hot or cold ice packs on the painful area as well resting the affected area may also be recommended to aid in reducing inflammation and help with alleviating pain.
However sciatica, which is a type of neuralgia, is often considered a symptom of a cause. Sciatica can be as a result of many things including piriformis syndrome, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, slipped or herniated disk, tumors, osteoporosis, and pregnancy among others. Many of these causes of sciatica are further caused by other factors. Each of these causes needs to be looked at carefully in order to treat sciatica and help with sciatica pain relief on a more permanent basis if the pain does not ease up.
Often physical therapists can be recommended for sciatica pain relief as they can help with stretches and strengthening exercises that may target some of the sciatica causes. Piriformis syndrome can be relieved by stretching the tense piriformis muscle and strengthening the surrounding gluteal muscles to give the hip area support, taking strain off the piriformis muscle and ultimately the sciatic nerve. When sciatica is caused by back problems such as a herniated disk or spondylolisthesis, strengthening the muscles in the lower back will help relieve any pressure on the sciatic nerve which has been placed on it due to weakness in the back. A herniated disk refers to when a disk in the back has slipped or pushed on to the muscle from straining the back, a sports injury or moving in an unusual way. Spondylolisthesis refers to a vertebra slipping onto another vertebra. Physical therapists may also recommend massaging around the area where the cause of the sciatica is to relieve muscle tension, which may also aid sciatica pain relief.
In more extreme cases of sciatica when the pain can not be kept at bay and someone suffers from it continuously, surgery may be considered as a way to treat the cause of the sciatica. If spinal stenosis is the cause, which refers to a narrowing of the spinal canal, surgery may be a way to physically take pressure off the spinal cord and ultimately the lower back, relieving pressure on the sciatic nerve and promoting sciatica pain relief. Surgery may also be used to physically loosen the pirformis muscle, undoing its hold on the sciatic nerve as well as repairing the vertebra that has slipped onto another vertebra in the case of spondylolisthesis. It may also be a way to remove a possible tumor, which could be pushing on the sciatic nerve. However surgery would be a last resort as a means of alleviating sciatica pain and help with sciatica pain relief.
Sciatica pain relief can be achieved temporarily with painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication as well as hot packs and ice packs. However if the pain increases, it is recommended that you consult your physician immediately to locate the cause of the sciatica and target it to achieve ultimate sciatica pain relief.
http://ezinearticles.com/?When-You-Need-Sciatica-Pain-Relief&id=6178980
Wednesday 5 November 2014
Benefits of Exercise for People With Sciatica
By Rocky C Rhodes
The spine is a highly complex piece of structural anatomy. Due to its intricacy, if not properly maintained, it can suffer damage or injury in the bones, cartilage, nerves, and connecting muscles and ligaments. One such condition that afflicts many people is sciatica, which manifests itself as pain, numbness, or spasms stemming from the lower back through the upper legs. Luckily sciatica exercises have effectively prevented or treated this condition in many cases.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica derives its name from the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the lower body, originating near the lower spine, and traveling under the buttock, and down the interior of the femur. Sciatica pain can from the low back to the toes, but is usually most intense in the buttock and pelvic region. Sensations vary widely between patients from numbness and tingling to severe and immobilizing pain, usually only on one side of the body.
Typically the pain will intensify at night, after sitting still for a long time, when sneezing, laughing, or coughing, or after walking. Unless there are underlying conditions, the pain will often go away in a few months, or it can and come and go over time. If the pain lasts for more than a month or is particularly intense when sneezing or coughing, you may need to allow more time for recovery. Luckily, learning the right exercises will help treat and prevent your sciatica pain.
Physical Therapy
It is vital that those with low back pain begin a gentle exercise program to reduce their pain. For patients with severe symptoms, physical therapy is a great way to learn proper techniques to eliminate your pain for good. A licensed professional will design a program specific to your needs, with a thorough understanding of the limitations caused by your condition. Although it is possible to design a program on your own, one New York Times study indicates that doing so will yield less results than a formal physical therapy program.
The first benefit of physical therapy is that it will educate you and train your body how to use the correct movement patterns not only while exercising, but when performing daily tasks. Secondly, you will learn exercises to help you keep your spine in a neutral position during your daily activities. According to most therapists, using incorrect movement patterns or engaging in high-impact exercise for a long time is the fastest way to develop sciatica pain.
Benefits of Exercising for Sciatica
By regularly performing exercises for your core and back, you may start to see an improvement in your sciatica pain. However, in order to see the benefits of exercising regularly, it is important that you do not push yourself too hard. This is where the guidance and program design of a professional will help you make the most of your training and recover from your sciatica.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-of-Exercise-for-People-With-Sciatica&id=8787674
The spine is a highly complex piece of structural anatomy. Due to its intricacy, if not properly maintained, it can suffer damage or injury in the bones, cartilage, nerves, and connecting muscles and ligaments. One such condition that afflicts many people is sciatica, which manifests itself as pain, numbness, or spasms stemming from the lower back through the upper legs. Luckily sciatica exercises have effectively prevented or treated this condition in many cases.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica derives its name from the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the lower body, originating near the lower spine, and traveling under the buttock, and down the interior of the femur. Sciatica pain can from the low back to the toes, but is usually most intense in the buttock and pelvic region. Sensations vary widely between patients from numbness and tingling to severe and immobilizing pain, usually only on one side of the body.
Typically the pain will intensify at night, after sitting still for a long time, when sneezing, laughing, or coughing, or after walking. Unless there are underlying conditions, the pain will often go away in a few months, or it can and come and go over time. If the pain lasts for more than a month or is particularly intense when sneezing or coughing, you may need to allow more time for recovery. Luckily, learning the right exercises will help treat and prevent your sciatica pain.
Physical Therapy
It is vital that those with low back pain begin a gentle exercise program to reduce their pain. For patients with severe symptoms, physical therapy is a great way to learn proper techniques to eliminate your pain for good. A licensed professional will design a program specific to your needs, with a thorough understanding of the limitations caused by your condition. Although it is possible to design a program on your own, one New York Times study indicates that doing so will yield less results than a formal physical therapy program.
The first benefit of physical therapy is that it will educate you and train your body how to use the correct movement patterns not only while exercising, but when performing daily tasks. Secondly, you will learn exercises to help you keep your spine in a neutral position during your daily activities. According to most therapists, using incorrect movement patterns or engaging in high-impact exercise for a long time is the fastest way to develop sciatica pain.
Benefits of Exercising for Sciatica
By regularly performing exercises for your core and back, you may start to see an improvement in your sciatica pain. However, in order to see the benefits of exercising regularly, it is important that you do not push yourself too hard. This is where the guidance and program design of a professional will help you make the most of your training and recover from your sciatica.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-of-Exercise-for-People-With-Sciatica&id=8787674
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Exercises to Relieve Your Sciatica Symptoms
By Robin Nordhoff
One known remedy for sciatica pain is the strengthening of the back and abdominal muscles with the help of simple exercises and workouts. The stronger your abdominal and back muscles are, the lesser your spine is required to carry most of your body weight. However, before engaging into exercise routines, you should first consult a doctor, an experienced athletic trainer and a chiropractor to ask for advice on the appropriate exercises for you. Although not very common, sciatica may also be caused by an inflammation or infection, or worse, a tumor that needs medical attention. Thus, it is highly necessary for you to seek for an exact diagnosis as to what really causes the pain, so you can proceed on performing the appropriate sciatica exercise routines for your case. Furthermore, doing a wrong set of exercises can even worsen sciatica.
Even if you perform the right exercises, the exercises can prove to be ineffective and even lead to increased and continued sciatic pain without appropriate training and form.
Exercise as a treatment for sciatica is better than bed rest. You may choose to rest for a few days after your sciatica pain attacks, but inactivity after those resting days can invite the pain back and worsen it. Without regular movement, your back muscles tend to weaken. Such can lead to further strain and injury. Moreover, proper exercise will keep your spine and discs healthy. This allows for continued exchange or fluids and nutrients within the spinal discs, which is also known to help lessen the strain on the sciatic nerve.
Sciatica exercises must be done regularly, yet gently, in order to build flexibility and strength. Aside from strengthening the core, abdominal and back muscles, you must also concentrate on the muscles directly linked to your sciatic nerve. An example is the piriformis muscle, which is located inside the buttocks. The sciatic nerve runs through it. When this muscle tightens, it will put pressure on your sciatic nerve. To workout this muscle, you must pull your legs up to an angle of 45 degrees while lying flat on your back. Then, place the right leg over the left as you would when sitting with your legs crossed. After this, gently pull your legs towards your chest until you feel your buttocks stretched. Hold it for sixty seconds and release. Do the same with the other leg. This should provide automatic relief.
Regular stretching of the hamstrings may relieve common types of sciatica pain. Hamstrings are the muscle group located in the back of the thighs. If they are too tight, they can provide stress on the lower back, which often leads to conditions that trigger sciatica pain. Walking is known to be an easy yet excellent form of lower back exercise. Although it is a low impact exercise, it can definitely provide all the benefits that you require. Whenever possible, try progressing gradually to up to three miles of walk a day at a quick pace.
http://goarticles.com/article/Exercises-to-Relieve-Your-Sciatica-Symptoms/5498775/
One known remedy for sciatica pain is the strengthening of the back and abdominal muscles with the help of simple exercises and workouts. The stronger your abdominal and back muscles are, the lesser your spine is required to carry most of your body weight. However, before engaging into exercise routines, you should first consult a doctor, an experienced athletic trainer and a chiropractor to ask for advice on the appropriate exercises for you. Although not very common, sciatica may also be caused by an inflammation or infection, or worse, a tumor that needs medical attention. Thus, it is highly necessary for you to seek for an exact diagnosis as to what really causes the pain, so you can proceed on performing the appropriate sciatica exercise routines for your case. Furthermore, doing a wrong set of exercises can even worsen sciatica.
Even if you perform the right exercises, the exercises can prove to be ineffective and even lead to increased and continued sciatic pain without appropriate training and form.
Exercise as a treatment for sciatica is better than bed rest. You may choose to rest for a few days after your sciatica pain attacks, but inactivity after those resting days can invite the pain back and worsen it. Without regular movement, your back muscles tend to weaken. Such can lead to further strain and injury. Moreover, proper exercise will keep your spine and discs healthy. This allows for continued exchange or fluids and nutrients within the spinal discs, which is also known to help lessen the strain on the sciatic nerve.
Sciatica exercises must be done regularly, yet gently, in order to build flexibility and strength. Aside from strengthening the core, abdominal and back muscles, you must also concentrate on the muscles directly linked to your sciatic nerve. An example is the piriformis muscle, which is located inside the buttocks. The sciatic nerve runs through it. When this muscle tightens, it will put pressure on your sciatic nerve. To workout this muscle, you must pull your legs up to an angle of 45 degrees while lying flat on your back. Then, place the right leg over the left as you would when sitting with your legs crossed. After this, gently pull your legs towards your chest until you feel your buttocks stretched. Hold it for sixty seconds and release. Do the same with the other leg. This should provide automatic relief.
Regular stretching of the hamstrings may relieve common types of sciatica pain. Hamstrings are the muscle group located in the back of the thighs. If they are too tight, they can provide stress on the lower back, which often leads to conditions that trigger sciatica pain. Walking is known to be an easy yet excellent form of lower back exercise. Although it is a low impact exercise, it can definitely provide all the benefits that you require. Whenever possible, try progressing gradually to up to three miles of walk a day at a quick pace.
http://goarticles.com/article/Exercises-to-Relieve-Your-Sciatica-Symptoms/5498775/
Tuesday 28 October 2014
How Yoga For Sciatica Can Help You Get Relief
By Faye Martins
To understand how yoga for sciatica can help you, it is important to understand what sciatica is in the first place. Sciatica is a painful condition resulting from compression, irritation, or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs from the lower spine down the back of each leg. Sciatica can be caused by an injury arising from a slipped disk, pregnancy, pelvic fracture, or tight muscles in your lower back, legs and hips. Often the discomfort is felt on one side of the body, depending on whether the right or the left nerve has been affected.
Pain from sciatica is characteristic. It usually radiates from the lower back down the leg or foot in a pattern that is characteristic of the way the nerve runs in your body.
Yoga Exercises and Sciatica Treatment
Yoga is a form of mind and body exercise that seeks to provide balance to your body. Some of these exercises can be used to reduce the pain associated with sciatica and even heal the condition completely. However, yoga exercises for sciatica are better suited as a rehabilitation option rather than an actual stand-alone treatment.
Yoga Poses for Sciatica
Not all yoga exercises work to cure a problem with the sciatic nerve. Only a few poses are suitable for this purpose. Some of the top poses for healing and restoration include:
- Half moon. If your sciatica symptoms are caused by prolonged sitting or standing, this pose will bring you relief. It involves stretching of the outer leg to target the affected area.
- Seated spinal twist. This creates some movement in your lower spine, which relaxes the affected muscles, especially the piriformis muscle.
- Lizard pose. This pose opens up your hip region. It also offers a nice, relaxing stretch to your hip flexor muscle.
- Locust. This is a relaxing pose that unwinds tight muscles as well as strengthens them.
- Pigeon. This pose targets areas of sciatica discomfort in your lower back, thighs, and hips. This pose has a variation called Figure Four, which targets the piriformis muscle, which is one of the top causes of sciatica.
- Reclining big toe pose. You perform this pose with a bent knee. This pose focuses on stretching your lower back and the hamstring of your raised leg.
- Half wheel. This pose engages the hamstring and the glutes. These are some of the muscles commonly affected by sciatica.
These are just some of the yoga poses you can use to heal your sciatica pain. However, you have to do them the right way to get the relief you need.
Point to Remember
Yoga for sciatica can be successful in relieving the discomfort of sciatica and healing it completely. However, you need to remember that all these poses have to be comfortable for you to get the results you expect. You can modify the poses when necessary.
How often should you perform the poses to get the results you need? Well, practicing the poses a few minutes a day for a couple of days can ease the pain and in some cases, eliminate the condition.
If the sciatica persists, you might be performing the poses the wrong way. You need to consult with a professional yoga instructor to find out how to perform these poses to your advantage.
To understand how yoga for sciatica can help you, it is important to understand what sciatica is in the first place. Sciatica is a painful condition resulting from compression, irritation, or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs from the lower spine down the back of each leg. Sciatica can be caused by an injury arising from a slipped disk, pregnancy, pelvic fracture, or tight muscles in your lower back, legs and hips. Often the discomfort is felt on one side of the body, depending on whether the right or the left nerve has been affected.
Pain from sciatica is characteristic. It usually radiates from the lower back down the leg or foot in a pattern that is characteristic of the way the nerve runs in your body.
Yoga Exercises and Sciatica Treatment
Yoga is a form of mind and body exercise that seeks to provide balance to your body. Some of these exercises can be used to reduce the pain associated with sciatica and even heal the condition completely. However, yoga exercises for sciatica are better suited as a rehabilitation option rather than an actual stand-alone treatment.
Yoga Poses for Sciatica
Not all yoga exercises work to cure a problem with the sciatic nerve. Only a few poses are suitable for this purpose. Some of the top poses for healing and restoration include:
- Half moon. If your sciatica symptoms are caused by prolonged sitting or standing, this pose will bring you relief. It involves stretching of the outer leg to target the affected area.
- Seated spinal twist. This creates some movement in your lower spine, which relaxes the affected muscles, especially the piriformis muscle.
- Lizard pose. This pose opens up your hip region. It also offers a nice, relaxing stretch to your hip flexor muscle.
- Locust. This is a relaxing pose that unwinds tight muscles as well as strengthens them.
- Pigeon. This pose targets areas of sciatica discomfort in your lower back, thighs, and hips. This pose has a variation called Figure Four, which targets the piriformis muscle, which is one of the top causes of sciatica.
- Reclining big toe pose. You perform this pose with a bent knee. This pose focuses on stretching your lower back and the hamstring of your raised leg.
- Half wheel. This pose engages the hamstring and the glutes. These are some of the muscles commonly affected by sciatica.
These are just some of the yoga poses you can use to heal your sciatica pain. However, you have to do them the right way to get the relief you need.
Point to Remember
Yoga for sciatica can be successful in relieving the discomfort of sciatica and healing it completely. However, you need to remember that all these poses have to be comfortable for you to get the results you expect. You can modify the poses when necessary.
How often should you perform the poses to get the results you need? Well, practicing the poses a few minutes a day for a couple of days can ease the pain and in some cases, eliminate the condition.
If the sciatica persists, you might be performing the poses the wrong way. You need to consult with a professional yoga instructor to find out how to perform these poses to your advantage.
Faye Martins, is a Yoga teacher and a graduate of the Yoga teacher training program at: Aura Wellness Centre in, Attleboro, MA.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Yoga-For-Sciatica-Can-Help-You-Get-Relief&id=8776607
Wednesday 22 October 2014
Exploring The Benefits Of Osteopathic Treatment
Activities, especially the very physical ones, will usually leave you with discomfort and body pain. These body issues can come from the overuse of your body joints and muscles. Most of the time, those who suffer from these injuries are the athletes. In case these body issues worsen, you may be advised to go through medical treatments or worse, surgical operations.
Those who just started engaging themselves in these physical activities may be the most prone to suffer from injuries. You can always try to search for the best preparation tips but you cannot be absolutely free from untoward incidents.
It is best to make sure that before it reaches to this point, every athlete or sports enthusiast must already know the different preventative measures to avoid injuries. However, it cannot be denied still that accidents can happen to anybody, anytime. No matter how mindful you are of your body needs when you indulge in strenuous activities, the risks are there.
Repetitive stress on the muscles and joints, overuse quick stops and twisting motions and inadequate warm-ups will usually cause you harm. These are the reasons why you always need to prepare your body before getting into certain activities. RICE, or rest, ice, compression and elevation, is often the first aid for those who want to recover from a sports injury. But apart from this, most people would trust the services of an osteopath.
Basically, the osteopathic treatment involves muscle and joint treatment. Popular for its "whole person" approach, the method does not only treat headache, back, neck, shoulder, and sciatica but also treat sports injuries. Exploring the services of an osteopath will help you understand better how osteopathy can help you with your health condition.
You may be advised to discontinue the activity, drink water and take up RICE when undergoing treatment. The osteopaths will then assess your condition to determine what course of action to take to fully recover from a certain injury. Actually, the type of treatment will have to depend on the type of injury a person is suffering from. Dynamic release, deep massage, joint mobilisation and spinal manipulation are often involved in the method. You will also be advised to undergo rehabilitation exercises to strengthen weak muscles and enable fast recovery. A reliable osteopath will check on your posture as part of the assessment to be conducted. This should help the expert determine what type of recovery program to give you.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Exploring-The-Benefits-Of-Osteopathic-Treatment&id=8640220
Those who just started engaging themselves in these physical activities may be the most prone to suffer from injuries. You can always try to search for the best preparation tips but you cannot be absolutely free from untoward incidents.
It is best to make sure that before it reaches to this point, every athlete or sports enthusiast must already know the different preventative measures to avoid injuries. However, it cannot be denied still that accidents can happen to anybody, anytime. No matter how mindful you are of your body needs when you indulge in strenuous activities, the risks are there.
Repetitive stress on the muscles and joints, overuse quick stops and twisting motions and inadequate warm-ups will usually cause you harm. These are the reasons why you always need to prepare your body before getting into certain activities. RICE, or rest, ice, compression and elevation, is often the first aid for those who want to recover from a sports injury. But apart from this, most people would trust the services of an osteopath.
Basically, the osteopathic treatment involves muscle and joint treatment. Popular for its "whole person" approach, the method does not only treat headache, back, neck, shoulder, and sciatica but also treat sports injuries. Exploring the services of an osteopath will help you understand better how osteopathy can help you with your health condition.
You may be advised to discontinue the activity, drink water and take up RICE when undergoing treatment. The osteopaths will then assess your condition to determine what course of action to take to fully recover from a certain injury. Actually, the type of treatment will have to depend on the type of injury a person is suffering from. Dynamic release, deep massage, joint mobilisation and spinal manipulation are often involved in the method. You will also be advised to undergo rehabilitation exercises to strengthen weak muscles and enable fast recovery. A reliable osteopath will check on your posture as part of the assessment to be conducted. This should help the expert determine what type of recovery program to give you.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Exploring-The-Benefits-Of-Osteopathic-Treatment&id=8640220
Saturday 11 October 2014
Sciatica Treatment: All You Need to Know
It has happened to most of you at least a few times. You start to
sit down, stand, walk, or turn in the wrong way... and ouch! All of a
sudden, you experience a sharp pain that does not make you feel so
great. Whether it is a twinge or a crimp, it is quick and uncomfortable.
For most of you, those little twinges and crimps go away on their own.
For those suffering from sciatica, they most likely will not!
Sciatica is a symptom characterized by consistent escalating pain on one side of the buttock, lower back, or leg; tingling or burning down the leg; numbness, weakness, or difficulty moving the foot or leg; or a sharp shooting pain that may make it difficult to walk, turn or even stand up. Sciatica is not a disease in itself - it is a symptom of an underlying problem. The cause is generally the compression of the roots of the spinal cord. This can occur at multiple points along the end of the spinal column. Because the symptoms can result from numerous causes, sciatica treatment options vary just as much! The following are a few popular sciatica treatment options:
Rest and Relaxation
Sometimes, the best and the simplest treatment options for sciatica pain is to simply rest for at least a few days. However, physicians generally recommend that over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Naproxen, combined with bed rest for faster results. In more severe cases, even muscle relaxant drugs may be prescribed for instant relief from shooting pain.
Epidural Steroid Injections
In certain situations, physicians recommend that epidural steroid injections with cortisone or a similar drug be injected directly into the affected area. Cortisone, when combined with rest and relaxation, is often all that is needed to permanently, or at least temporarily, reverse sciatica pain. Pain relief will often be experienced immediately after a single shot, but certain cases may require a series of treatments.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy for sciatica treatment may include acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, massage therapy, etc. But, it is not always compulsory to work one-one-one with a physiotherapist to help alleviate sciatica pain. Physical therapy can simply include taking short walks, stretching, and staying as active as possible when the sciatic pain is not too much to bear.
Heat and Ice
Hot and cold packs are often advised to provide relief from nerve pain as well as to help reduce swelling and inflammation. Ice can numb the regions that are experiencing pain, and heat will increase blood circulation in the affected area, thereby speeding up the recovery process.
In cases where consistent and severe sciatic pain lasts more than several months, and none of the above-mentioned non-surgical sciatica treatments have helped relieve the pain, surgery must be considered. It generally involves removing the disk that is pressurizing the sciatic nerve. There is always some level of risk associated with surgery, so it should only be adopted after all non-invasive sciatica treatments have failed!
Sciatica is a symptom characterized by consistent escalating pain on one side of the buttock, lower back, or leg; tingling or burning down the leg; numbness, weakness, or difficulty moving the foot or leg; or a sharp shooting pain that may make it difficult to walk, turn or even stand up. Sciatica is not a disease in itself - it is a symptom of an underlying problem. The cause is generally the compression of the roots of the spinal cord. This can occur at multiple points along the end of the spinal column. Because the symptoms can result from numerous causes, sciatica treatment options vary just as much! The following are a few popular sciatica treatment options:
Rest and Relaxation
Sometimes, the best and the simplest treatment options for sciatica pain is to simply rest for at least a few days. However, physicians generally recommend that over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Naproxen, combined with bed rest for faster results. In more severe cases, even muscle relaxant drugs may be prescribed for instant relief from shooting pain.
Epidural Steroid Injections
In certain situations, physicians recommend that epidural steroid injections with cortisone or a similar drug be injected directly into the affected area. Cortisone, when combined with rest and relaxation, is often all that is needed to permanently, or at least temporarily, reverse sciatica pain. Pain relief will often be experienced immediately after a single shot, but certain cases may require a series of treatments.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy for sciatica treatment may include acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, massage therapy, etc. But, it is not always compulsory to work one-one-one with a physiotherapist to help alleviate sciatica pain. Physical therapy can simply include taking short walks, stretching, and staying as active as possible when the sciatic pain is not too much to bear.
Heat and Ice
Hot and cold packs are often advised to provide relief from nerve pain as well as to help reduce swelling and inflammation. Ice can numb the regions that are experiencing pain, and heat will increase blood circulation in the affected area, thereby speeding up the recovery process.
In cases where consistent and severe sciatic pain lasts more than several months, and none of the above-mentioned non-surgical sciatica treatments have helped relieve the pain, surgery must be considered. It generally involves removing the disk that is pressurizing the sciatic nerve. There is always some level of risk associated with surgery, so it should only be adopted after all non-invasive sciatica treatments have failed!
Thursday 28 August 2014
Lifestyle and home remedies
For most people, sciatica responds well to self-care measures. You'll
heal more quickly if you continue with your usual activities but avoid
what may have triggered the pain in the first place. Although resting
for a day or so may provide some relief, prolonged inactivity will make
your signs and symptoms worse.
Other self-care treatments that may be helpful include:
Alternative therapies commonly used for low back pain include:
Other self-care treatments that may be helpful include:
- Cold packs. Initially, you may get relief from a cold pack placed on the painful area for up 20 minutes several times a day. Use an ice pack or a package of frozen peas wrapped in a clean towel.
- Hot packs. After two to three days, apply heat to the areas that hurt. Use hot packs, a heat lamp or a heating pad on the lowest setting. If you continue to have pain, try alternating warm and cold packs.
- Stretching. Stretching exercises for your low back can help you feel better and may help relieve nerve root compression. Avoid jerking, bouncing or twisting during the stretch and try to hold the stretch at least 30 seconds.
- Over-the-counter medications. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve) are sometimes helpful for sciatica.
Alternative medicine
- Acupuncture. In acupuncture, the practitioner inserts hair-thin needles into your skin at specific points on your body. Some studies have suggested that acupuncture can help back pain, while others have found no benefit. If you decide to try acupuncture, choose a licensed practitioner to ensure that he or she has had extensive training.
- Chiropractic. Spinal adjustment (manipulation) is one form of therapy chiropractors use to treat restricted spinal mobility. The goal is to restore spinal movement and, as a result, improve function and decrease pain. Spinal manipulation appears to be as effective and safe as standard treatments for low back pain.
Sciatica can have many causes
Like other common medical terms, sciatica is not the name of a disease. Rather, it is a set of symptoms (a syndrome) that includes pain, numbness, weakness or tingling in the lower back, buttocks and parts of the legs, knees or feet. Usually, this happens on one side of the body only. We give this syndrome the name “sciatica” because of its relation to the sciatic nerve.
What causes sciatica?
The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest nerve in your body. It starts in your lower back, runs through your buttocks, divides into two branches in your thighs and runs down each leg to your feet. Very simply, when the fibers of this nerve are compressed or irritated, it hurts big time.
What’s happening in your body? There are many ways that the sciatic nerve can get in trouble, and depending on the location, we give it a different name. For example: There is a muscle called the piriformis that goes from your sacroiliac joint (bottom of the spine) to your hip bone. And alas, the sciatic nerve runs right under the piriformis. That means that if the piriformis spasms or is just too tight, then you have instant sciatica. This is called piriformis syndrome. Sciatica can result from a herniated (ruptured) disc, a bone spur on the spine or stenosis (abnormal narrowing) of the spinal canal. The weight of the fetus during pregnancy, and rarely, vigorous coughing or even sneezing, and even more rarely, one vertebra sliding over another can result in sciatica. Arthritis, osteoporosis, a tumor, blood clot or abscess can be sources of pressure on the nerve, as well.
Herniated disc Between each pair of vertebrae in your spine is a cushioning pad that we call a “disc.” The disc consists of a tough fibrous outer ring that contains a soft, central portion. In this most common cause of sciatica (some say 90 percent), that fibrous ring gets torn, allowing the jellylike inside of the disc to bulge out. This may not only put pressure on nerve fibers, but also release an inflammatory chemical called tumor necrosis factor-alpha that causes pain even without compression; TNF may also be present if there is stenosis. And isn’t it really annoying when your doctor says something like, ‘You know, Mr. Keller, age is a factor!’ Alas, however, aging, as well as wear and tear, leads to some unfortunate changes in the spinal discs. Specifically, that soft, cushioning interior becomes a bit stiff, and so more of the load it bears is transferred to the outer ring. This additional pressure can lead to cracks in the ring, sometimes big enough to allow the inner material to bulge through.
Prevention
But the best therapy for sciatica is preventing it in the first place, and there are some very simple precautions you can take: Keep your weight under control, get regular physical activity and don’t sit for extended periods of time. Also — especially to men — don’t carry your wallet or anything else in your hip pockets, and wear an elastic belt instead of the unforgiving leather that most men use. Daily stretching exercises (15 minutes maximum) will keep your piriformis and other gluteal muscles flexible. To help head off disc herniations, avoid especially heavy lifting and exaggerated twisting of the torso.
http://www.newburyportnews.com/news/lifestyles/article_52eb436e-5709-5f28-b0da-7b98ae8995d2.html
Saturday 23 August 2014
What Causes Sciatica?
6 Most Common Causes of Sciatica
There are 6 lower back problems that are the most common causes of sciatica:Lumbar herniated disc
A herniated disc occurs when the soft inner core of the disc (nucleus pulposus) leaks out, or herniates, through the fibrous outer core (annulus) and irritates the contiguous nerve root.
A herniated disc is sometimes referred to as a slipped disc, ruptured disc, bulging disc, protruding disc, or a pinched nerve. Sciatica is the most common symptom of a lumbar herniated disc
Degenerative disc disease
While disc degeneration is a natural process that occurs with aging, for some people one or more degenerated discs in the lower back can also irritate a nerve root and cause sciatica.
Degenerative disc disease is diagnosed when a weakened disc results in excessive micro-motion at that spinal level, and inflammatory proteins from inside the disc become exposed and irritate the area (including the nerve roots).
Isthmic spondylolisthesis
This condition occurs when a small stress fracture allows one vertebral body to slip forward on another (e.g. the L5 vertebra slips over the S1 vertebra).
With a combination of disc space collapse, the fracture, and the vertebral body slipping forward, the nerve can get pinched and cause sciatica.
Lumbar spinal stenosis
This condition commonly causes sciatica due to a narrowing of the spinal canal. Lumbar spinal stenosis is related to natural aging in the spine and is relatively common in adults over age 60.
The condition typically results from a combination of one or more of the following: enlarged facet joints, overgrowth of soft tissue, and a bulging disc placing pressure on the nerve roots, causing sciatica pain.
Piriformis syndrome
The sciatic nerve can get irritated as it runs under the piriformis muscle in the buttock. If the piriformis muscle irritates or pinches a nerve root that comprises the sciatic nerve, it can cause sciatica-type pain.
This is not a true radiculopathy (the clinical definition of sciatica), but the leg pain can feel the same as sciatica caused by a nerve irritation.
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Irritation of the sacroiliac joint - located at the bottom of the spine - can also irritate the L5 nerve, which lies on top of the sacroiliac joint, causing sciatica-type pain.
The leg pain can feel the same as sciatica caused by a nerve irritation.http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/sciatica-causes
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