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/
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
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!
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