Sciatica Help 4 Friends: April 2021

Friday 30 April 2021

Pillow Fights: How Sleeping with a Pillow Between Your Legs Can Relieve Pain

From greatist.com

When you’re dealing with pain, the sleep struggle is real. You’ve likely heard that sleeping on your side with a pillow between your legs can help — and for good reason.

Side sleepers often hitch their upper leg forward, which causes their hips and back to twist during the night. Adding a pillow between your legs prevents your upper leg from moving forward and reduces stress on your hips, back, and legs.

Let’s take a closer look at how a pillow fights pain.

So, how exactly does it help?

This sleep position has a ton of potential benefits, thanks to its role in keeping your spine aligned during the night. Good alignment helps relieve pressure on your back, neck, and hips. It can also help reduce pain from sciatica or a herniated disk.

Research shows that sleeping in wonky positions can structurally change the shape of the spine and throw it out of alignment.

In addition to easing pain, the pillow-between-the-legs position may improve your posture by helping your spine stay aligned while you sleep. This also supports overall spine health, so you can comfortably sit up straight during your waking hours.

Keep in mind: One night of aligned sleep won’t magically make all your pain go away. Try making it a habit to help reduce pain in the long run while promoting overall spinal health.

What specific pain does it target?

When you sleep with a pillow between your legs, you allow your body to ease up on certain painful pressure areas. This may reduce discomfort caused by:

Back and hip pain. Roughly 23 percent of adults experience chronic back pain. Sleeping with a pillow between your knees or thighs can help your spine, hips, and pelvis stay properly aligned while you sleep, relieving unpleasant pressure so you can rest and heal.
Sciatica. When your sciatic nerve is impinged (or “pinched”), it can cause pain in your butt and thighs and down your legs. This is different from cervical or lumbar radiculopathy, however. Sleeping in a twisted position can compress the nerve and make pain worse. Placing a pillow between your knees can ease compression.
A herniated disc. Rotating your spine can add more pain to an already painful herniated disc. Changing your sleep position can prevent too much spinal rotation while you sleep, reducing discomfort.
Neck pain. An unaligned spine can cause pain and discomfort in more than just your lower body — it can also cause a literal pain in your neck. Sleeping in an aligned position supports your entire body, which can prevent that pesky morning neck soreness.
Pregnancy-related pain. Most docs recommend sleeping on your side during pregnancy (either side is safe). Adding a pillow between your legs can help make sleep even more comfortable by reducing back pain.

This sleep hack may not be for you if:

It hurts. If this position causes you *more* discomfort or makes your pain worse, don’t do it.
You have pain on both sides. Sleeping on your side may become an issue if your hip or back pain affects you on both sides. In this case, try snoozing on your back with a pillow under your legs.

Do pillow and mattress type matter?

Your pillow and mattress type can have a big impact on whether you wake up with pep or with pain.

When it comes to soothing neck pain, using a pillow that’s not too stiff, not too soft, but juuuuust right is where it’s at. But with so many options available, finding Goldilocks-level comfort and support can be tricky — especially if you sleep on your side.

A 2019 study on pillow performance found that pillows with a latex or polyester filling provided a higher quality sleep than those filled with feathers. Experts also recommend changing out your pillows every 1 to 2 years, as they tend to lose firmness and support over time.

Your mattress is also important, especially if you’re dealing with back or hip pain. While medium-firm or firm mattresses are generally considered best for backaches, they may not always jibe with side sleeping.

For the best quality sleep possible, the Better Sleep Council recommends replacing your mattress every 7 years. However, many factors can contribute to knowing when it’s time to trade it in for a newer, more supportive model. To prolong the life of your mattress, try flipping it every 6 to 12 months (if it’s double-sided, of course).

Helpful daytime and pre-sleep exercises

While your sleep position is key, there are also ways you can ease pain before your head (or legs!) ever hits the pillow.

Here are some exercises you can do to support spinal alignment, relieve pressure on your hips and pelvic area, and ease back pain:

Get your “om” on with some yoga. There’s a yoga pose for every ailment — back pain, sciatica, neck pain, and even insomnia!
Give your hips some love. From hip abductions to Pigeon Pose, exercises that target your hips can relieve tension, strain, and pain.
Stretch it out. Whether you’re stretching out your back, lower body, or legs or doing a full-body pre-bedtime stretch sesh, keeping your body loose and limber can work wonders to soothe pain.

If you’re stuck at a desk for most of the day, consider trying a yoga ball chair — some studies suggest it may help relieve lower back pain.

https://greatist.com/health/sleeping-with-pillow-between-legs

Thursday 29 April 2021

How to Sleep Soundly with Sciatica

From greatist.com

Sciatica can totally screw with your sleep sitch. Every toss and turn can lead to a lightning bolt of pain down your side ⚡😫. Here’s how you can get your sleep back on track.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve. (That’s a branch of nerves that runs through your back, butt, and each leg). Ouch!

It originates from inflamed nerve roots in the lower back and leads to pain traveling down the leg. This tends to affect one side of your body at a time.

how to sleep with sciatica — *Irina Efremova/Stocksy United*

Wednesday 28 April 2021

Foods High in Saturated Fats Can Make Sciatica Pain Worse

From vivaglammagazine.com

Sciatica pain can be debilitating. The good news is that it can be manageable if you eat the right kind of foods. To be specific, avoiding certain foods, such as saturated fats, can prevent flare-ups. So, what is the connection between saturated fats and sciatica pain?

Saturated Fats and Sciatica Pain

Just like trans fats, consuming a lot of saturated fats can make sciatica pain worse. The reason is that this type of fat can increase inflammation. As such, the American Heart Association recommends that we limit our consumption of saturated fats to less than 7% per day. Additionally, you can also replace saturated fats with omega-3 fatty acids.

The common sources of saturated fats are:

Red Meat
Fried Foods
Processed Foods
High-fat Dairy Products
Egg Yolks

Healthy Alternatives

Now that you know the connection between saturated fats and sciatica pain, it is best to limit your intake of its common sources. Instead, you can opt for healthy alternatives, which include the following:

1. Olive Oil

If you have sciatica, it is best to avoid vegetable oils such as canola oil and sunflower oil. The reason is that these products contain trans fat, which can cause inflammation. Instead, you can use extra virgin olive oil.

Keep in mind that extra virgin olive oil contains polyphenols, compounds that can fight inflammation. The best part is that there are various ways to enjoy this healthful oil. You can drizzle it over your favourite salad recipe and use it for sautéing vegetables. Additionally, it can also be used as a marinade and a dip for your bread.

2. Coconut Oil

Like olive oil, coconut oil also contains healthful compounds that can fight inflammation. To reap the anti-inflammatory benefits of this oil, you can either add it to your meals or apply it topically. When applied to your skin, it can also help relieve pain.

There are several ways to use coconut oil for cooking. Most people use it for baking, but you can also use it to stir-fry your vegetables.

3. Nuts and Seeds

Fats are essential for the proper functioning of your body. However, saturated fats are not your only choice. As mentioned, you can also opt for omega-3 fatty acids because they can help reduce inflammation. The best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids are nuts and seeds.

Aside from omega-3 fatty acids, nuts and seeds also contain magnesium. This essential nutrient can help control muscle spasms and ease sciatica pain.

https://vivaglammagazine.com/foods-high-in-saturated-fats-can-make-sciatica-pain-worse/

Friday 23 April 2021

Is sitting too much causing my back pain or sciatica?

From advertiser.ie

A major manufacturer of workstations reports that 86 percent of work computer users have to sit all day, and when they do rise from sitting, more than half (56 percent ) use food as the excuse to get up and move.

In addition to sitting at work, for meals, and commuting to/from work, 36 percent sit another one to two hours watching TV, 10 percent sit one to two hours for gaming, 25 percent sit one to two hours for reading/lounging, and 29 percent use their home computer for one to two hours.

In summary, the average Irish person sits for 9.5 hours a day and sleep for eight hours. That’s a total of 17.5 hours a day off their feet!

The manufacturer’s survey also notes 93 percent of work computer users don’t know what “sitting disease” is but 74 percent believe that sitting too much can lead to an early death.

“Sitting Disease” represents the ill-effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle and includes conditions like “metabolic syndrome” (obesity and diabetes ), which is rapidly becoming more prevalent, especially in the young – even in adolescence and teenagers!

Recently, the American Medical Association (AMA ) adopted a policy encouraging employers, employees, and others to sit less citing the many risks associated with sitting including (but not limited to ): diabetes, cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Standing is SO MUCH BETTER as it burns more calories than sitting, tones muscles, improves posture, increases blood flow, reduces blood sugar, and improves metabolism. Standing is frequently overlooked as “an exercise” and it’s both simple and easy to do!

So, what about the low back and sitting? You guessed it – sitting is hard on the back! The pressure inside of our disks, those “shock absorbers” that lie between the bones (vertebra ) in our spine (22 disks in total ) is higher when we sit compared with simply standing or lying down.

It’s estimated that when we lie down, the pressure on our disks is the lowest at 25mm. When lying on one side, it increases to 75mm, standing increases disk pressure to 100mm, and bending over from standing pushes disk pressure to 220mm.

When we sit with good posture, our disk pressure may reach 140mm but that can increase to 190mm with poor posture.

To help relieve the pressure on our disks, experts recommend getting up periodically and standing; sitting back in your chair and avoiding slouched positions; placing a lumbar roll (about the size of your forearm ) behind the low back and chair/car seat; and changing your position frequently when sitting.

Because certain low back conditions “favour” one position over another, these “rules” may need modification. For example, most sciatica patients prefer low back extension while bending over or slouching hurts.

In those with lumbar sprain/strains, bending forwards usually feels good and extension hurts. Modifying your position to the one that is most comfortable is perhaps the best advice for back pain and sciatica sufferers.

https://www.advertiser.ie/athlone/article/121206/is-sitting-too-much-causing-my-back-pain-or-sciatica

Wednesday 21 April 2021

What Are the Best Sciatica Treatment Options?

From webwriterspotlight.com

Sciatica is one of the most common and misunderstood types of pain. It’s important to get all the facts about it so you understand the condition and what your treatment options are

Sciatica refers to the pain caused by pressure on/or inflammation of the sciatic nerve roots in the lower lumbar spine, and is medically known as lumbar radiculopathy. This pressure causes extreme pain, numbness, and fatigue in the lower back, which radiates down to the legs and causes leg pain.

Chronic low back pain may also be a result of this condition.

Between 10% and 40% of the population in United States has experienced sciatica symptoms at some stage in their lives, according to studies. It is a debilitating issue that can adversely affect the patient’s quality of life if not treated.

If you suffer from this pain, treatment options can be explored with the help of a qualified medical practitioner in your local area. Consult your doctor as you may find you require medical intervention, such as physical therapy, spinal injections (for pain), and surgery.

For example, if you live in Greenbelt, Maryland, it shouldn’t be a problem to find good pain management Greenbelt MD options in such communities. Following treatment, you should be able to keep your pain under control and resume your normal lifestyle.

Research suggests sciatica resolves spontaneously (without treatment) for most people, but since this is one of the most common and misunderstood types of pain, it’s important to get the facts about sciatica so you understand the condition and what your options are.

Risk Factors and Symptoms of Sciatica

Low back pain and sciatica have a variety of symptoms and risk factors.

Even though the sciatic nerve originates in the lower spine, some people with the disease don't have low back pain. Instead, they experience various symptoms related to the nerves that run through the right or left leg.

A physical examination, imaging, and other tests by your doctor, with special attention to your spine and legs, may help pinpoint the irritated nerve root.

When sciatica affects the legs, patients can experience the following symptoms:

Pain that starts from the buttocks, down the back of the thigh, and sometimes into the feet.
Numbness, burning pain, and shooting pain in the legs
Legs are swollen and shaky.
Leg reflexes are impaired.

Back pain, a reduced range of motion in the hip region, muscle tenderness, and spasms are common symptoms. Patients may note that their pain and other symptoms are worse first in the morning and after long periods of standing or sitting.

Lower back pain and sciatica may affect people of all ages. However, according to the US National Library of Medicine, most people get symptoms of acute sciatica at the age of 45-64. Sciatica is most common in people ages of 45 and above.

People who work in physically challenging occupations, have recently suffered physical trauma such as a car accident, and those who sit or stand a lot are also prone to the condition. Try to be as active as possible since motion helps to reduce inflammation.

Sciatica and lower back pain may also be exacerbated by diabetes, smoking, and obesity.

Sciatica Treatment Options

The most common treatment for sciatic is a combination of over-the-counter drugs, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) taken orally, and soothing at-home care like putting gentle heat or cold on your painful muscles and stretching exercises.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) reports that between 80% to 90% of people with acute sciatica experience spontaneous relief without treatment within a few weeks. The condition usually heals itself, given sufficient time and rest.

Pain from chronic sciatica is normally milder, but flare-ups can necessitate more care. Physicians may recommend more severe treatment options for chronic and acute sciatica. The following medical treatments may be prescribed to relieve sciatica pain:

Prescription painkillers
Medications that calm the muscles
Anticonvulsant medication
Oral corticosteroids
Injections of corticosteroids
Physical therapy
Surgical procedures

Ultimately, a small number of sciatica patients need surgery for the treatment. You should consider surgery only if sciatica pain lasts for more than six weeks after primary treatment. Surgery could be a choice at that stage.

Remember, surgery aims to address the underlying cause of sciatica. If sciatica symptoms become severe or worsen with time, a qualified doctor should be consulted right away.

https://webwriterspotlight.com/sciatica-treatment-options

Saturday 17 April 2021

Am I Having Sciatica And How Do I Get Relief?

By James Schofield

Several years ago, a patient in my chiropractic office told me she was having pain in her lower back which radiated down the side of her thigh, calf, and foot. She said the pain was excruciating and wondered if she had sciatica and how she might obtain pain relief. This article will discuss the condition known as sciatica and what can be done to obtain pain relief.

Let's begin with the basic anatomy of what is called the sciatic nerve. We all know spinal nerves exit between openings on both sides of the spinal bones. Spinal nerves are found from the area just below the base of the skull all the way down to the tail bone. The lowest five groups of nerves exiting the spine merge together at a point that is found roughly where the midpoint of the rear pocket of a pair of pants is located. That merge point is where the nerve begins. At that location, the nerve is roughly the size of a finger and is the largest nerve in the body. It sends fibres down to innervate various areas of our thigh, calf and foot.

There are various factors that cause irritation and pinching of the sciatic nerve. Some less frequent causes of this extremely painful condition are tumours, an arthritic bone spur, and direct trauma such as a fall directly on the back area or from an improperly positioned injection into the buttock. More commonly, sciatica occurs from a ruptured, herniated, bulging or protruded intervertebral disc of the lower back or from a mis-positioned forward slip of the spinal vertebra which is called spondylolisthesis.

When the sciatic nerve is irritated, we use the term sciatica or sciatic nerve pain. So, while the term sciatic nerve indicates a normal condition, sciatica or sciatic nerve pain indicates an abnormality. This condition is generally, very painful, and many who have experienced it will state that it is the worst pain they've ever experienced.

Fortunately, there is a safe, gentle and effective way to gain nerve pain relief without drugs or invasive surgery. For over 125 years chiropractors have been able to provide sciatic pain relief. Chiropractors use methods of traction, spinal vertebral realignment through gentle chiropractic adjustments and other therapies to help give patients pain relief from this extremely uncomfortable condition.

My patient who I mentioned earlier in the article, was definitely having sciatica. Although it took some weeks of gentle, safe chiropractic care, she did get complete relief of her nerve pain and has remained pain free since.

While this condition can be painful and debilitating, the majority of the time this condition be treated conservatively by a doctor of chiropractic so that patients can gain sciatic nerve pain relief.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Am-I-Having-Sciatica-And-How-Do-I-Get-Relief?&id=10425546

Wednesday 14 April 2021

What You Need to Know About Sciatica

From livinggossip.com

It has been estimated that about 5% to 10% of the patients suffering from back pain have the sciatica condition. The population prevalence with the condition stands out at 2%. Sciatica is the inflammation and compression of the sciatic nerve, causing pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve—the pain branches from the lower side of the back, to the hips, butt, and down the leg. Primarily, sciatica tends to affect one side of the body. The condition mostly occurs when the herniated disk bone narrows towards the spine, causing the spine’s compression.

What are the most common symptoms of sciatica?

Due to the compression and the sciatic nerve’s inflammation, the condition tends to be a painful one. The most common symptom associated with the condition include the following:

An individual with the condition experiences intense back pain, especially on the lower side.
The buttocks also experience much pain.
The legs and the foot also experience intense pain.
Pain narrowing down the leg and shooting on one side of the thigh.
At some point, an individual may feel weak or experience numbness in one leg.
There is also a tingling sensation in the back and the leg.

What are the conditions that trigger sciatica?

The sciatica condition typically starts when one of the vertebral discs on the spine slips, causing compression on the sciatic nerve. The vertebral disc usually is jellylike tissues acting as shock absorbers separating vertebral bone. The other symptoms associated with the condition are bone subdivision, narrowing of the spinal canal, a ruptured disc, pinched nerves, and arthritis.

How is the condition diagnosed and treated?

A thorough examination is conducted on a patient with the condition. The examination typically involves a series of x-rays and other imaging studies. The doctors also review the nature of the pain by asking the patient questions. The doctor will then decide the best treatment plan from several options, including nerve block, trigger point injections, and massage therapy. Other treatment options are therapeutic exercise and chiropractic adjustments.

What are the risk factors associated with sciatica?

Age-related changes in the spine are one of the significant risk factors. It contributes to a herniated disk and bone subdivision. Obesity is another major factor as it increases stress towards the spine. The excess body weight on the spine triggers the pain. Occupations that require an individual to twist their back or carry heavy loads lead to pain on the spine, causing sciatica. Long hours of driving also lead to the condition. Prolonged sitting is also a significant risk factor. People who sit down for an extended period are more likely to suffer from the condition. Diabetes is also a factor. This condition generally affects the way the body uses the blood sugars, hence increasing damage to the nerve.

Conclusion

Sciatica is a severe condition that requires adequate and proper medical intervention.

https://livinggossip.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-sciatica/

Saturday 10 April 2021

How to get rid of sciatica fast

From express.co.uk

Back pain is the largest cause of disability in the UK, with lower back pain accounting for more than 10 percent of the total disability of the UK population. Sciatica is where the sciatic nerve, which starts in your lower back and can travel down to your hip or leg, is irritated or compressed. Express.co.uk explains how to get rid of sciatica

Sciatica normally happens when a herniated disk (bone spur on the spine or narrowing of the spine) compresses part of the nerve.

This tends to happen when your spine changes as you age, or there’s excess stress on your spine due to obesity. It can happen as a result of too much heavy lifting or a sedentary lifestyle.

This compression causes inflammation, pain, and some numbness. The pain differs from person to person, and people will experience sciatica in different places.

How to get rid of sciatica fast: Woman clutching back

(Image: Getty)

How do you know if you have sciatica?

According to the NHS, if you have sciatica your bottom, back of your leg, or feet and toes may feel painful, tingling, numb, or weak.

Normally the pain in your bum, legs and feet are worse than the pain in your back. The pain is often described as a stabbing, burning or shooting sensation. The tingling you might feel probably feels a bit like pins and needles.

Sciatica normally affects just one side of your body rather.

You might feel different sensations in different parts of one body part. For example, numbness in one part of your leg and tingling in another. The symptoms may get worse when you move, sneeze or cough.

However, exercise may really help to speed up your recovery.

How to get rid of sciatica fast: sciatica diagram

(Image: Getty)

How to get rid of sciatica

Sciatica normally gets better in four to six weeks, but it can last longer.

If your pain lasts longer than this or gets worse, you need to see your GP right away.

Get immediate medical care if you have sudden severe pain in your lower back or leg and numbness or muscle weakness in your leg.

You should also treat it as an emergency if the pain comes after a violent injury such as a traffic accident, or you have trouble controlling your bowels or bladder.

If you have mild sciatica, you have to wait for it to heal.

Your GP may suggest exercises and stretches to speed up your recovery, such as pigeon pose or spinal stretches. You may also be prescribed painkillers to help with the nerve pain, or be sent to physiotherapy.

Exercising regularly and maintaining proper posture when sitting helps to prevent sciatica from reoccurring.

One exercise to try is Sciatic Nerve Flossing.

Sit in a chair with your back straight, knees hip-width apart.

Keep your left leg on the floor and slowly raise your right leg straight out in front of you with your foot flexed. At the same time, extend your neck so you are looking up at the ceiling.

Repeat this movement over and over and then swap legs.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1343284/how-to-get-rid-of-sciatica

Thursday 1 April 2021

Don’t back down

From newindianexpress.com

If you suffer from sciatica - lower back pain that radiates down to the legs - alternative therapy might
provide the relief you need

BENGALURU: A condition of lower back pain that radiates down to the legs, sciatica is most commonly found in people between 25 to 45 years of age. The condition derives its name from the sciatic nerve that branches down from the lower back through the hips to the legs. It is usually caused by a herniated disc that results in compression of a nerve, causing inflammation and pain in the areas affected by that particular nerve. While the intensity of pain is different from patient to patient, sciatica is a debilitating condition that negatively impacts quality of life.

In modern medicine, sciatica treatment involves the administration of anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, and corticosteroid injections. However, prolonged use of these drugs is associated with adverse side effects. When the condition is severe enough to cause bowel or bladder changes or significant leg weakness, surgical intervention to remove a part of the herniated disc is considered. On the other hand, alternative therapies such as acupuncture in conjugation with physiotherapy have been found to be highly useful in reducing sciatica pain without any negative repercussions or major surgical intervention.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a widely used alternative therapy derived from traditional Chinese medicine. It is based on the belief that a vital force or energy circulates between the organs of the human body via certain channels. The condition is a result of a disorder occurring in the normal functioning of these pathways that obstructs the flow of vital energy.

Acupuncture practice uses very fine needles on concerned points to remove the channel obstruction and stimulate the flow of energy and blood circulation. Acupuncture points also stimulate sensory receptors which in turn induce the hypothalamus to release neurotransmitters and endorphins – two essential elements in the body’s pain relief and healing mechanism. Acupuncture is useful for relief of chronic pain such as sciatica or arthritis pain.

Physiotherapy
Physical therapy for sciatica patients may involve physiotherapists, chiropractors as well as spine rehabilitation experts working in tandem. This may be done in conjugation with conventional medicine as well as with acupuncture therapy. A physical therapist will examine the patient and prescribe a combination of therapies, including manual therapy, soft tissue mobilisation and multiple back strengthening or stretching exercises. This will also include exercises to correct spine posture and adaptive mechanisms to prevent injuries and restore mobility.

(The author is deputy-chief medical officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute)

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2021/apr/01/dont-backdown-2284091.html