Sciatica Nerve Pain Relief

By Anna Peterson


Sciatica, also known as lumbar radiculopathy, is a serious form of pain that has a variety of causes and symptoms that are usually only felt on one half of the body. It has been prevalent since ancient times, and is fairly widespread and recognized. Symptoms include shooting or burning pain either in one of the five spinal nerve roots, usually leading to lower back, hip, buttock and leg pain. In addition to this pain, a feeling of numbness or weakness usually accompanies sciatica.
Causes of sciatica are diverse, but they include a lumbar disc herniation pressing on a nerve, which usually accounts for most of the cases. However, practically any type of irritation that impacts the nerve can be held liable: other causes include tumors, infections, and internal bleeding. Many women also contract sciatica during pregnancy, as it can aggravate the sciatic nerve, but it usually has no traumatic impact on the fetus. For those with sciatica, risk factors include degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine.
Sciatica nerve pain relief is dependent on several factors. Since the sciatic nerve is the biggest nerve in the body, it can sometimes be a lengthy process for it to be repaired to optimal function. However, there are times when sciatia resolves itself after a short time span of weeks, but this usually occurs specifically when the cause is a lumbar disc herniation.
The most common form of sciatica nerve pain relief is medication that is specifically used to relieve inflammation and pain, though evidence about the helpfulness of medication is still being debated. Nonetheless, among the most popular prescribed medications are muscle relaxants, botulism toxin and cortisone injections, and other forms of painkillers. On occasion, epidural steroid injections are often employed, though these agents are more controversially used.
Bed rest is the traditional form of treatment for sciatica, as walking or exercising with these symptoms is not advised. There has much research conducting on the effectiveness of bed rust in helping patients with sciatica nerve pain relief. Usually, after a span of three to four months, the majority of patients suffering these symptoms report slight improvement. However, this improvement is roughly analogous to patients who did not receive bed rest; thus, the case for bed rest as a form of sciatica nerve pain relief is not significant.
Some people in desperate need of sciatica nerve pain relief turn to surgical methods to remove part of the disc in a process called disectomy. While this may be an appealing option to some, the majority of research shows that the long-term benefits do not show a significant improvement. In the short run, pain may be alleviated, but otherwise it seems to have no enormous effect on the pain.
Though these are some of the most prevalent forms of sciatica nerve pain relief, other opportunities abound. These include stretching exercises, physical therapy, and naturopathic remedies.
Ultimately, though sciatica is painful and quite serious, there is still hope for those who are suffering from it. Over time, symptoms may abate completely, and even if it may not completely go away, scientists are researching it and striving to come up with a more effective cure.

http://goarticles.com/article/Sciatica-Nerve-Pain-Relief/7905113/

Here's A Question - What Relieves Sciatica?

By Stuart Ward

Save your relationships I hear you say! Yes, that's right. For one thing I've discovered is, left untreated, sciatica not only affects you, it affects those close to and around you too.
Thankfully, I've never suffered with sciatica (touch wood), but my wonderful girlfriend and partner has.
Seeing her constantly suffer and struggle with the pain made me feel sad. But after a while, the constant sleepless nights where she would be tossing and turning because of the discomfort would leave us both feeling tired and drained in the morning.
Not exactly what you want before starting a day's work!
So, my girlfriend being Thai has several friends that practice Thai massage and pressure point therapy. They shared with us stretches and acupressure massage that, if practiced daily, really helped to relieve my girlfriend's sciatica pain.
What we discovered was a three-step process towards relieving sciatica and lower body pain.
Many fellow sufferers have since asked me: "what relieves sciatica?"

With that in mind allow me to share this three-step process with you.
Stretching
We were shown specific stretches that target certain muscles along with the sciatic nerve itself. Daily stretching not only helps relieve sciatica, it also keeps your spine fluid and flexible.
When stretching it's important to keep things balanced. What I mean by this is after completing one particular stretch you need to follow-up with an opposite stretch.
For example, when stretching the spine in one direction follow-up by stretching your spine in the opposite direction.
Two stretches I like to do every morning to start my day is the "cat stretch" followed with the "cobra stretch." This ensures my spine is stretched in opposite directions keeping it balanced, fluid and flexible.
One common cause of sciatica is piriformis syndrome. This is a small muscle buried deep within our buttocks and it sure hurts if it gets damaged or inflamed. It'll put pressure on your sciatic nerve and you'll feel a stabbing pain in your buttocks and back of legs.
If piriformis syndrome is causing your sciatica then you'll need to stretch this tiny muscle.
Taken from yoga, the "pigeon pose" or stretch is ideal for stretching the piriformis muscle as well as opening your hips and loosening your lower body.
Acupressure Therapy
This was the eastern secret my girlfriend's friends shared with us. Manipulating and massaging certain pressure points really helped to relieve her sciatica pain, especially when used in conjunction with stretching exercises.
We tend to turn a blind eye to this type of therapy in the west but acupressure has been practiced for thousands of years in the far east. And the beauty of this is, you can do this alone in the privacy of your own home.
I used to have my doubts but I'm happy to say I'm a firm believer now.
Diet
"You are what you eat." Food is probably the most underrated therapy in the western world.
After seeing what my Thai friends eat everyday I now realize why they always appear healthy and look younger than they really are.

They always eat foods that are known to combat inflammation and boost our immune systems.
Every Thai meal comes packed with spices including chili, turmeric, garlic and ginger along with leafy greens. If you add these to your daily diet you really don't need a medicine cabinet!
Nature gives us everything we need, it's all too easy to overlook that in today's world.
So, Back To Our Question - What Relieves Sciatica?
Well put simply, nature does!
I know sciatica can be debilitating but you really don't have to keep popping pills everyday to stop your pain. Do things the way nature intended and you can't go too far wrong.
Follow a daily routine of stretching and acupressure, eat the right healthy foods and you'll be surprised how quickly you can stop your sciatica pain - and for good!
Surely that must be worth it to get the quality of your former life back - wouldn't you agree?

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