Sciatica - Can Home Treatment Work?

What is Sciatica?

Whilst many people wrongly think that sciatica means the pain caused when the sciatic nerve is trapped.

In fact, it actually refers to the symptoms caused by irritation of the Sciatica nerve rather than a diagnosis of the cause.  This point is important as different causes can have different treatments.

Pain can be experienced in the hip, thigh, calf or even the foot, and is often accompanied by numbness or pain when walking or moving the leg.  You can find useful info on sciatica causes and treatments at Wikipedia.

What Causes Sciatica?

Whilst it may feel as if the nerve is deaden ed, in fact, it is compressed.  Sciatica is usually caused by the compression of a lumbar spine nerve root, but also occasionally by compression of the sciatic nerve.  Treatment of the underlying cause of compression is likely to be most effective. 

When the cause is due to a prolapsed or herniated disc, research has shown that, with treatment to help alleviate pain, 90% of disc prolapses will recover with no specific intervention.

Diagnosis

Leg pain seems to be the common symptom - with pain in other areas such as the hip or thigh being secondary.

Home Treatment for Sciatica

Finding relief from your discomfort at home may not be optional - if you're immobile, you may need someone to call the doctor or fetch some over the counter medications such as anti-inflammatory pain relievers.  One of the other products that you can purchase is an analgesic cream which can also help.   Lying down and relaxing with an ice pack or hot water bottle can provide some immediate and instant relief for the pain.

Some people also recommend use of infrared light, please check with your health care professional first.

If you are experiencing pain in other areas, such as the neck, shoulders, abs, you may need to seek medical advice.  In any case, if your symptoms persist, you should always seek the advice of a doctor.

More on treating yourself at home.l

Find Out More

Lose the Back Pain - method you can use at home to treat yourself.

Natural Treatment for Sciatica - Native Remedies offer a specially designed supplement, Sciatigon, to relieve pain and address the causes of sciatica.

Stop Sciatica - a suggested method for preventing and curing this painful problem