Sciatica Pain Relief
Pain from sciatic nerve irritation is frequently severe and debilitating. Quite a few causes exist for sciatic nerve symptoms, but most cases are caused by either disc protrusion and/or contraction of the piriformis muscle, located in the lower buttock. Luckily, the majority of cases of sciatica symptoms can be treated without having to submit to surgery. Actually, most cases can be managed with simple home exercises and other self-treatment techniques.
Disc protrusions, also called spinal disc bulges or herniations, result from major injuries to the body such as falls and car accidents, as well as from repeated "micro-trauma" over a long duration, such as sitting in a slumped position, or bending and lifting with improper body mechanics. In some cases, intervertebral disc protrusions may increase to the point of full rupture, at which point it would be called an extrusion. Ruptures regularly produce disabling pain that can leave a person more or less unable to move or function without help. Disc protrusions and ruptures can produce direct pressure on one or more of the nerves that join to form the big sciatic nerves which go through the lower buttock area and down each leg. Based on the site and magnitude of nerve compression, symptoms of sciatic nerve irritation can run anywhere from the buttock to the foot.
Exercises to help decrease spinal disc herniation and anti-inflammatory treatments like ice packs and drugs will regularly be valuable in easing sciatica. Not all exercises recommended for the relief of sciatic nerve symptoms are always prudent to use in cases where there is disk herniation though. For instance, the yoga pose, "downward facing dog" will sometimes help with sciatic nerve symptoms owing to muscle contraction, but can make symptoms related to lumbar disc herniation much more intense. Even though many people are tempted to apply hot packs when suffering with sciatica symptoms, heat tends to increase inflammation and will often increase and/or prolong sciatic nerve symptoms. Ice packs placed on the lower spine for 15 to 20 minutes at a time up to every few hours will help lessen inflammatory swelling and normally result in significantly better results than hot packs.
Long intervals of sitting or uncommon action of the hip muscles can set-off tightening of the piriformis and trigger sciatic nerve pain. The piriformis is located differently relative to the sciatic nerve in different people. In certain individuals the muscle crosses over the top of the nerve, and in certain occasions the nerve may even pass through the piriformis muscle, making it vulnerable to pressure from tightening of the muscle. In these cases, abnormal contraction of the muscle can compress the sciatic nerve adequately to create pain and other symptoms. Stretching exercises and deep massage of the piriformis muscle will generally decrease sciatica pain resulting from muscle contraction.
Regardless of how painful and disabling sciatica symptoms can be, the vast majority of individuals can get relief without undegoing expensive and invasive surgical procedures. Through identifying the underlying cause of symptoms, the appropriate home treatments can be employed, and relief can be provided within a few days to a week in the vast majority of instances.
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