subject: How To Self Treat Sciatica Pain [print this page] Sciatica self treatment exercises don't need to be exceptionally complex to be useful. Generally, they can be performed successfully at home and can often negate the need for costly services from a medical professional. Whether or not utilized by themselves or in addition to other forms of treatment, simple sciatic nerve pain home exercises and self-care strategies can often make the difference between recovery and lasting pain.
Sciatic nerve irritation is often triggered by an injury to one or more discs in the lumbar spine. The discs are the soft-tissue shock absorbers separating the vertebrae. When one or more intervertebral discs is damaged sufficiently to bulge into the openings where the nerve branches that make up the sciatic nerve come out of the spine, the nerves can become irritated. Inflammation from the herniated spinal disc can also cause swelling and this inflammatory swelling may produce extra nerve irritation. The resulting nerve irritation produces the pain and other symptoms that go into the buttock muscles and or leg that is termed sciatica.
The chief effect of the majority of good sciatica treatment exercises is to "push" the herniated intervertebral disc material away from the irritated nerves (as can be accomplished by way of the McKenzie extension home treatment exercises discussed later) and/or diminish the buildup of fluid from inflammatory swelling (which can be accomplished using any gentle aerobic exercise like walking or using an elliptical trainer). This decrease in compression of the nerve branch through decreased disk bulging and swelling often produces rapid relief of pain. With frequent utilization of the self treatment exercises over a duration of several days, even difficult cases will frequently get symptom relief in the long run and gradual stabilization of the disc wall will happen to reduce the tendency for reinjury. As the disc stabilizes, lasting elimination of symptoms is the end result.
Among the most popular of the sciatic nerve irritation treatment exercises is the previously mentioned McKenzie extension method, which is very similar to the "cobra" position in yoga. The thought is that backward extension of the spine gently pushes the gel inside of the disc forward and away from the nerves that create sciatica.
In addition to sciatica pain exercises, there are additional techniques that can be used to manage sciatica. Applying ice packs (separated from the skin with a thin layer of cloth to avoid freezing the skin) for 10 to 15 minutes at a time up to every few hours will usually relieve inflammation and swelling around spinal nerves considerably better than even the strongest anti-inflammatory medicine. Acupressure and self massage can also be useful in decreasing swelling around the spinal nerves and decrease pain. The decrease in swelling produced by these added varieties of self-care increase the benefits of the sciatica pain stretches.
With repeated use of stretches and additional sciatic nerve pain self-treatment methods, high-priced and time-consuming professional health care, unpleasant side effects from drugs and invasive injections and surgical procedures can typically be averted. By becoming informed about what sciatic nerve pain home treatment exercises and self-care to do and what not to do, you can heal yourself and prevent a recurrence of the sciatic nerve symptoms in the long run.
