Natural Remedies For Sciatica

From boldsky.com

When a sharp pain shoots down from your butt to your foot at the back of your leg, there are chances that you are suffering from sciatica. It affects the nerves that run down from your pelvis to your legs. Luckily, the pain sometimes goes away on its own, but the catch is that there is no guarantee that it will not show up again. To get rid of this pain you can always go for a painkiller. But this will give you relief only for sometime. In order to get long term relief and see to it that the pain does not come back, you have to resort to certain natural remedies. These natural remedies not only help to get rid of the pain, they also see to it that the pain does not return.

The first natural way to get relief from sciatica pain is to rest well. Rest your leg well for two to three days and avoid any kind of activity that will put pressure on your legs. Go for hot and cold compresses on the affected area. This will provide instant relief. After you have completely rested, go for short walks and try light exercises.

Visit a physical therapist. The physical therapist will teach you certain physical exercises that will help you to combat the pain. He or she can ask you to do certain stretching exercises that will provide some relief to the sciatica nerve.

You can also go for acupuncture. It involves the use of needles on certain parts of the body to treat the root of the problem. You can also try acupressure. In acupressure, certain points in our body are pressed. This increases blood circulation in the body and the affected area gets healed.

Sciatica pain can also be treated with chiropathy. This kind of treatment focuses primarily on the spinal column and associated joints, and also on the muscles and tendons by optimizing blood circulation. Treatment is tailored to fit the age, build, pain levels and overall health of the person.

http://www.boldsky.com/health/disorders-cure/2016/natural-remedies-for-sciatica-103861.html

What Sciatica Really Means (and How to Fix It)

By David Reavy

You've probably heard of sciatica in reference to mysterious leg pain. Technically speaking, sciatica is just a term used to describe any type of irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest nerve in the human body, and is responsible for the activation of several leg muscles as well as sensation to the back of the leg. Based on the size and functions of the sciatic nerve, sciatica can end up looking like a lot of different things. More importantly, its causes can also be varied.

To treat sciatica, you need to correctly diagnose the underlying condition causing the irritation. The causes can range from a herniated disc to arthritis in your spine, but one of the most common culprits, and the one I would like to focus on here, is piriformis syndrome.
First, let’s get a clear picture. The sciatic nerve looks like a thick rope, and it runs through the middle of your deep hip rotators, one of which is your piriformis. In some people, the sciatic nerve actually pierces straight through the middle of the piriformis. When the deep hip rotators become tight, they basically compress this nerve like a bandage, irritating and decreasing the function of the nerve. This is when sciatica symptoms — tingling, numbness, and pain — can kick in.
The deep hip external rotators, like the piriformis, get tight for a variety of reasons, one of which is overuse. This happens when big muscles, namely the glutes, aren’t engaging when you run or lift, and the smaller deep hip rotators have to help out.
To treat piriformis syndrome, you need to take the pressure off the sciatic nerve by activating the glutes. Step one is releasing the hip flexors (which are often tight in men, and prevent the glutes from engaging) and putting the pelvis in the optimal position. Next, you want to stretch them. And finally, activate the pelvic floor and hip adductors, which ensures proper pelvic stability and allows the glutes to engage properly. This three-step process will put you on the road to sciatica relief.
Hip Flexor Release

• Lay facedown and place a double lacrosse ball just below the hip bone.
• Lean a tolerable amount of weight onto lacrosse balls.
• Bend the knee on the side of the release back to a 90-degree angle.
• Swing leg side to side in a tolerable range of motion.
• Repeat for 1 minute on each side.

Piriformis Release
Sit on floor, legs extended, with a lacrosse ball centered under one glute muscle. Lean weight onto ball to target piriformis.

Bend the corresponding leg so knee points up with foot flat on floor.

Fan leg back and forth from one side to the other.

Repeat in 30-second to two-minute intervals, then switch sides.

Hip Flexor Stretch

• Begin in split kneeling position (back knee down, front knee up) with the back knee on a soft pad. Forward knee should be directly above ankle with a 90-degree bend in knee.
• To begin stretch, press hips forward while keeping torso tall and pelvis tucked under. You should feel the stretch in the front of the hip.
• To get a deeper stretch, bring the arm on the same side as your back leg up over your head, then side bend and twist torso away from the leg being stretched.
• Hold 30 seconds; repeat three times on each side.

Piriformis Stretch

Stand in front of a cushioned tabletop or bed and place the outside of one shin on table or bed in front of your body with the knee bent out and shin as close to parallel to the edge as you can. Keep the foot flexed.

Position one: Twist torso toward raised foot and fold forward over raised leg, bringing right shoulder over right shin. Return to standing.

Position two: Keeping torso squared straight, fold forward toward raised leg, extending arms above head and resting them on the tabletop or bed. Return to standing.

Position three: Twist torso toward raised knee (opposite position one) and fold forward. Return to a standing position.

Activate: Glute Step-Backs

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and lunge one leg backward, keeping knees at 90-degree angles. Perform 15 reps of each side of each of the three variations:
• Straight: Keep shoulders square facing forward.
• Twist: Rotate upper body toward front leg.
• Side Bend: Facing forward, bend to the side opposite the front leg.

Activate: Hip Thrust

• Rest upper back against a bench with feet planted shoulder-width apart in front of you, and holding a dumbbell over hips. 
• Press through feet to raise hips up so torso is parallel to floor.
• Lower hips, then thrust back up, squeezing glutes throughout the movement. Repeat for three sets of 15 reps.

http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/articles/what-sciatica-really-means-and-how-to-fix-it-w431280

Sciatica: a pain in the backside

By Dr Alf Neehaus

Sciatica refers to pain due to a problem with the sciatic nerve. It is the longest nerve in our body and in the thigh area can be as thick as a male finger. It runs from the lower back through the gluteal region and the back of the thigh all the way down to the sole of the foot and the toes.

The symptoms of sciatica vary and there are quite a few. It usually starts with some ache or occasional pain in the buttock area which could affect one or even both sides. The longer the problem causing the pain persists the further this pain can ‘travel’ down the leg along with the nerve’s location and even reach the toes. Further symptoms are tingling and numbness in the foot, and even weakness of the whole leg on weight bearing. Often these symptoms are worse in the morning when getting up, at night or when getting up from a sitting position. They usually seem to ease a bit ones you’re ‘up and a bout’. If left untreated sciatica can turn into a chronic condition which would require long term treatment and sometimes even surgery.

As a nerve doesn’t just get inflamed on its own it would be important to find the reason that initiated the inflammation. Wrong posture at work, long periods of sitting and/ or standing in the same position, overload of the lower back due to lifting heavy weights, sudden rotational movements and similar can cause some temporary pressure onto the sciatic nerve in the lower back region resulting in an inflammation. Sudden traumatic stretching or compression of the lower back region (road traffic accident, fall from a height…) or repetitive trauma (certain sport activities) are known reasons for sciatica. Numerous diseases like degenerative changes at the lumbar spine, advanced arthritis of the hip joint, osteoporotic fracture of a vertebra, a herniated disc or an infection inside the spinal canal (herpes zoster) can also be the reason for sciatica.

Sciatica can affect anyone in any age group, but it appears to be more frequent from the age of 50 on. Lower back pain is the most often diagnosis for sick leave in Europe and the USA. Sciatica is playing an important part in this. Therefore the most important part of successfully treating sciatica is the early diagnosis of this pathology.

Detailed information (anamnesis) and a thorough clinical exploration is the first and most important examination to detect a possible sciatic nerve inflammation. Radiographic images of the lumbar spine and the pelvis should be taken to exclude any bone disease or injury as the possible underlying problem. A MRI scan (special scan for soft tissue problems like herniated disc) might be needed in severe cases of sciatica (weakness of the leg, loss of reflexes) or if the applied therapy does not result in any improvement of the symptoms. In very rare occasions it might be necessary to take some liquid out of the spinal canal to confirm or exclude an infection.

Once sciatica has been diagnosed the treatment would commence immediately. This could be a specific physiotherapy approach, acupuncture, massage therapy, gentle osteopathy and similar, followed or combined by medical therapy in the form of anti- inflammatory medication administered as tablets or cremes or direct infiltrations of the inflamed nerve root with local anaesthetic and Cortisone (usually performed by orthopaedic surgeons). The important and often under- appreciated part of the treatment should follow those initial approaches. Physiotherapeutic exercises to deal with any muscular or postural problems that would contribute to the sciatic pain along with modifying certain habits like sitting position, appropriate furniture, sports activities and many more would help to prevent recurrence of the nerve inflammation.

Although the symptoms of sciatica can be severe, if diagnosed early and treated appropriately a complete remission is usually achieved. Surgical interventions are only very rarely, and mainly in cases of a structural damage, needed.

http://www.surinenglish.com/20160725/othersections/health-beauty/sciatica-pain-backside-201607251104.html

Are you suffering from sciatica? Acupuncture can provide some relief

From thehealthsite.com

Sciatica causes severe pain from the lower back to the back of each leg and patients tend to experience most pain while sitting. It is more commonly defined as a range of symptoms instead of a medical condition and the most common causes include a herniated disc, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease. In 90% of cases, sciatica is caused by a herniated disc.
Patients describe the leg pain caused by sciatica as a tingling or burning sensation due to which they face difficulty in moving their affected leg, foot and even toes. These symptoms are caused when the sciatic nerve, which starts in the lower back, gets pinched and depending on the severity, it could also be debilitating. Here’s what you need to know about sciatica and who could be at risk.

If you’re struggling to deal with sciatica, one way of treating it naturally is to opt for acupuncture. This alternative treatment has been practiced for over 3000 years by the Chinese and studies have found that it is effective in providing relief from pain caused by sciatica.
A research paper published in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2015 studied a total of 12 clinical studies that involved around 1842 participants. It was then concluded that acupuncture was actually more effective than conventional Western medicine in reducing pain intensity among patients suffering from sciatica.
The researchers also concluded that there are no side-effects of opting for acupuncture to reduce pain caused by sciatica. Conservative treatment mainly involves taking pain killers, epidural steroid injections, traction therapy, hot packs, and muscle relaxants other than surgical intervention.
However, in warming acupuncture where the needles are heated, patients reported getting relief after the first few sessions itself and saw improvement after completing more than 12 acupuncture sessions. Here are 10 facts you should know about acupuncture.
A lot of great technologies that are beneficial to mankind have come from trying to make more dangerous weapons and war and it seems acupuncture might’ve been the oldest of them. According to legend, the art was discovered when Chinese warriors found that arrows striking them at certain points in the body healed them of chronic conditions. We can still imagine the first guy hit by the arrow which hastened the era of acupuncture: ‘Gosh, that arrow in the back really helps get rid of the headache. Now if only someone can take the arrow out.’ 
There are over a thousand acupoints on your body
Since the early days of arrows in random places, the art has acquired a level of finesse and experts claim to have identified over 1000-2000 acupoints throughout the body. Of these, acupuncture therapists therapists have identified 8-18 points for treatment.
A tale of two theories
Science has tried hard to explain exactly how acupuncture works and has zeroed in on two different theories. One believes that that the needle sends impulses that travel faster than the pain impulses, thereby blocking them. Another theory is that it releases endorphins into the bloodstream that alleviates pain.
Not everyone can practice it
Acupuncture requires a complete understanding of the human body and there’s a school of thought that believe that only doctors should be allowed to practice it. This is because in modern society only they possess the in-depth knowledge about the human body which will then help them identify the various acupoints.
Sujok acupuncture –the return of acupuncture
What really made acupuncture popular in our modern times is a practice called Sujok, a branch of acupuncture which believes that the hand and feet represent a mirror image of the body. The thumb and the big toe stand for the head, the two middle fingers for the legs and the two extreme fingers for the arms while the palms and feet stand for the body. Stimulating points in the hands and feet will heal the corresponding body parts. It uses fewer and smaller needles and has proven more popular than Chinese acupuncture.
Acupuncture can cure various ailments
The jury is still out on the efficacy of acupuncture but studies have shown that some ailments like vomiting, nausea, pain, osteoarthritis, headaches, migraines and lower back pain could be cured by acupuncture.  According to the WHO, it can also aid  the following ailments – acute sinusitis, acute rhinitis, cold, acute tonsillitis, acute bronchitis, myopia, cataract, toothache, acute and chronic gastritis, gastric hyperacidity, colitis, constipation, frozen shoulder, sciatica, facial palsy and paralysis.
It can double up as an anaesthetic
One of acupuncture’s most spectacular by-products is its anaesthetic effect. It’s very effective in managing pain and it does so without any side effects that come with normal painkillers like addiction.  In fact, it is widely used as anaesthesia in China and the West too.
It has become quite popular in the West
Acupuncture is quite popular in the West and about a million Americans use acupuncture. In the UK, around 47% GPs refer their patients to acupuncturists but there’s still a lot of mistrust between allopaths and alternative medicine practitioners in India.
It’s not an alternative for conventional medicine
Despite its many health benefits, acupuncture shouldn’t be used as an alternative to medical treatments especially during an emergency. It cannot help during accidents, cardiac problems, epidemics, against infectious diseases, etc.
There are other variations of acupuncture as well
Ear acupuncture belies that the ear is the prototype of the foetus and has all the body parts represented in it, head acupuncture treats all the body parts by inserting needles in the scalp and in laser acupuncture practitioners use a laser beam instead of needles. Another mixed alternative therapy is homoeo-puncture which puts homeopathic medicine on the tip of the needles.
And the most important fact you need to know about acupuncture is that the insertion of needles aren’t painful!

http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/are-you-suffering-from-sciatica-acupuncture-can-provide-some-relief-v0716/