Helpful Tips for Sciatic Pain Relief

Before delving into ideas about sciatic pain relief there is a need to define the term. This is characterized by a shooting pain due to sciatic nerve inflammation, and the pain usually only happens on one side of the body. The sciatic nerve, longest nerve in the body with a diameter of a finger, runs from the lower end of the spinal cord, the lumbar region, towards the back of the leg to the foot.

Different people encounter different symptoms, but some of the more common ones include lower back pain, pain that radiates from the buttocks down the back of a leg, a feeling of tingling, burning, prickling or stabbing sensation, and they can be intermittent or continuous. This pain can suddenly appear out of nowhere, or it can also develop gradually.

The swelling or compression of the sciatic nerve in the lower spine results to sciatica. Weight lifiting, tough exercises and something as simple as sleeping or sitting on hard surfaces or anything that puts pressure on the nerve can cause it.

There are several solutions that will provide sciatic pain relief, but always keep in mind to check with a physician first to diagnose the cause of sciatica because it may be possible that the symptom is due to a more serious condition that may need immediate surgery. This case is rare, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

While it is essential to rest in cases of severe sciatic pain, it does not speed up recovery and instead may worsen the situation, since muscles wear off quickly. Exercise can provide healing and will also improve circulation.

Stretching exercises relax muscles that have tightened, and increases spaces amid vertebrae, making more space for the spinal nerves. For your own safety, you should only perform gentle exercises, and you should not do any tough exercise without the help of a professional like chiropractors. Also, take note that some exercises need to be avoided depending on the cause of sciatic pain.

There are anti-flammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen that will help with the swelling and pain. While analgesic like Tylenol only helps lighten the pain but not the inflammation.

Dietary supplements may also provide relief. However, it should be noted that their main function is to make the body perform its best, and not fix problems in the body. This can be used for long-term results rather than quick fixes.

Yoga postures and exercises can also give sciatic pain relief. However, some postures can actually cause more pain if they constrict the muscles in the legs and buttocks. So make sure you consult a professional coach than just rely on what you've seen in books or over the internet to avoid more pain.

Sciatic pain relief ideas are easily available anywhere but you need to make sure that the solutions you got will not cause more problems for you. Better go to your nearest chiropractors to help you save time and give you with a long-term solution, instead of a short-term pain relief.