Confused with what is going on with your leg. Are you experiencing a severe leg pain? Do you think it is sciatica pain? It is a common thing to hear people complaining about their sciatica pain or worrying if they have sciatica. So what is sciatica and what can you do for sciatica pain relief. How do you even spell it sciatic, siactica. Well it is sciatica and it is what lots of patients coming into a chiropractors office ask if they have it and if a chiropractor can help them with sciatica treatment. So it is important before you can achieve sciatica pain relief that what is sciatica, sciatica symptoms, sciatica diagnosis, what you can do for sciatica treatment and sciatica pain relief exercise tips are is discussed.
What is Sciatica
Sciatica is not a diagnosis but a symptom of a trapped nerve or pinched nerve. The nerve that is trapped can be one of five nerve roots from the spine or the whole sciatic nerve along it pathway. The sciatic nerve is usually trapped becuase of a lumbar disc herniation, or it can be from osteo-arthritis (spondylosis) in the spine, muscle spasm with a piriformis syndrome or sacro-iliac joint dysfunction.
Pain that runs down the back of the leg sometimes going below the knee to the calf is typically referred to as sciatica pain. This is because the pain runs down the same pathway that the sciatic nerve supplies in the leg. So pain in the leg can be sciatica OR not. This is where your chiropractor or doctor would perform orthopaedic and neurological tests to confirm the source of your leg pain.
Symptoms of Sciatica
The major sciatica symptom would be pain. Again, the pain would be in the same path as where the sciatic nerve supplies. Some other reasons for you to think you may have sciatica would be these sciatica symptoms:
- Pain in the buttock usually only one side
- Pain down the back of your thigh
- Pain in the calf
- Pins and needles in your feet or toes
- Numb feeling in the sole of your foot
- Limp with walking
- Pain in your lower back
How to Confirm Sciatica
An appropriate healthcare professional, like a chiropractor, will be able to tell you after thorough questioning and a physical examination, including orthopaedic and neurological testing, whether or not your pain is a true sciatica pain. It is important as not all leg pain is from the sciatic nerve being trapped.
X-rays of your lower back or leg will not confirm sciatica and are not usually required for unless your chiropractor or doctor feels there is a reason for an x-ray for your pain. X-rays show what is happening at the bone and not the nerve tissue. An magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scan is also not usually an immediate necessity to diagnosis you with sciatica. This is because MRI scans are usually used when needing a surgical evaluation or worries for delayed sciatica relief or unusually concern for the cause of pain.
Sciatica Treatment
Remember that sciatica is a symptom not a diagnosis. So only once you have being diagnosed with what is causing your sciatica nerve pain will you find out what sciatica treatment options you have. It is important to see a health care professional first. A chiropractor will be able to tell you if there is a muscle or joint causing your sciatic nerve pain. Treatment can vary according to what again is causing your pain so speak to your local chiropractor or doctor first before trying the self-treatment sciatica pain relief tips below.
Sciatica Pain Relief
Read this sciatica pain relief section if you are already under the care of a chiropractor or doctor for your sciatica pain and you are still struggling with pain. Here are some basic sciatica pain relief tips that may help you:
Ice
Using a protected soft mouldable cold pack for 20-30min on your lower back along the belt line area can relax the pain and swelling as the nerve exits the spine. Don’t let the cold pack touch your skin directly. Maybe try a bag of peas or one of those blue jelly packs you see in the chiropractors office.
Diaphragm Breathing
Trying to breath from your ‘stomach’ or diaphragm muscle is better than stressed breathing from your chest. So when you breath IN PUSH you stomach OUT & when you breath OUT PULL your stomach IN.
Co-Contraction
Co-contraction is when you gently tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles together. Before moving like bending or getting up from a seat try gently tighten you abdominal muscle PULLING IN you BELLY BUTTON then try SQUEEZE your buttock muscle TOGETHER. This will try protect you lower back spine from moving abnormally.
Sleep Positions
Sleep is important to help healing but is very difficult with leg pain and sciatica. Some of the sciatica sleep positions are FLAT on your back with a pillow under your knees to create a slight bend. Lay on the most comfortable side with pillow or duvet between your knees. Also on your side try moving your knees toward your chest or straighten your legs till comfortable.
Lumbar Chair Cushion
The lower back has a natural arch called a lordosis. You can support the lumbar lordosis through cushions or pillows. So support you lower back arch whilst sitting on the sofa, work chair and car seat.
Lumbar Belt Support
Using an elasticated belt to support your lower back can help some people, but is not usually recommended as it creates a psychological dependence on it.
Keep Hydrated
Make sure you are drinking enough daily fluids like water because dehydration will lower your healing ability.
Pain Killers
Your GP will be able to provide you with these or you can speak to a pharmacist for a basic over the counter pain relief medication for you sciatica. So speak to your GP or pharmacist for pain relief medication.
Inversion Traction Therapy
Using a home inversion traction table to traction and relief the pressure on the sciatic nerve may potentially reduce your risk for spinal surgery from 78% to 28%¹. CAUTION must be advised when using inversion therapy on your own and it hasn’t been conclusively shown to create substantial relief from sciatica pain, but there has been some positive results¹. Speak to your current chiropractor or doctor first before using inversion traction therapy.
Avoid Heavy Stretching
Trying to stretch the leg pain out of your leg could be stressing the trapped nerve more. The nerve is like a rope trapped at the spine. Any stretching must be gentle and controlled so not to stress the nerve further.
Sciatica Relief Conclusion
So these are some basic trapped nerve leg pain and sciatica pain relief tips the relief pain tips are not exhaustive. However it might help guide you to getting some leg pain relief and sciatica pain relief, hopefully soon. If anything changes or worries you speak to your local chiropractor or doctor first.
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