How to Fix Sciatica Pain!
First Off, What is “Sciatica”?
Your sciatic nerve is the longest in your body. It begins in your lower back and runs through your buttocks and down the sides of both legs and feet. Sometimes pressure on your sciatic nerve will result in pain in your lower back that radiates down your buttocks, legs, and feet.
Causes of Sciatica
Sciatica is a result of a herniated disk compressing on your sciatic nerve. It is the most common reason for sciatic back pain. A bone spur on the spine or narrowing of the spine (also known as lumbar spinal stenosis) can also cause sciatica. The pain occurs and runs along your sciatic nerve, specifically causing pain in your lower back, and branches throughout your hips and buttocks and down the side of the legs. Usually, you experience pain on one side. It causes inflammation, and unfortunately, pain that can be mild or severe. Sometimes you’ll even experience tingling or numbness in your leg or foot.
Treating Sciatica
Most of the time, if you have sciatica, it’s easily treatable through the five options listed here:
1. Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen sodium (Aleve) can help manage the pain.
2. Stretching can help loosen your buttocks, hamstrings, and calves, which will lessen the sciatic pain. Three simple stretches to improve these areas include a scissor hamstring stretch, standing calf stretch against a wall, and a supine piriformis stretch.
3. Exercise is also helpful in strengthening the lumbar spine. Walking, gentle yoga, and especially swimming, combined with stretching, can strengthen the back and improve your condition.
4. Spinal manipulation helps adjust the spine structure and relieve the pressure placed on the sciatic nerve. Spinal manipulation should only be done by a trusted chiropractor, such as ourselves at Mission Hills Chiropractic.
5. Since sciatic pain runs the length of your lower body, massage is effective in relaxing the muscles surrounding the sciatic nerve. Your muscles can spasm and tense, essentially putting more pressure on your sciatic nerve. A massage can help relax muscles and release those endorphins that make you feel better. At Mission Hills Chiropractic, you can receive a spinal adjustment from one of our chiropractors and see a massage therapist on the same visit!
Seek Professional Help for Sciatica
At the end of the day, you should seek professional help if you are in a lot of pain or want advice on a healing proper healing plan. We on the Mission Hills Chiropractic Team are passionate about connecting with patients and would be more than happy to consult with you. The Mission Hills Chiropractic Team has over 50 years of combined experience providing chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, knowledge, and products to get you out of pain and healthy again. We are more than happy to offer you a customized care plan to get you pain-free. Located in Orange County, please contact us if you’d like to speak with us or make an appointment.
Dr. Tim Gooing is a master of the Chiropractic arts, practicing daily in Lake Forest, California at his clinic, Mission Hills Chiropractic. His mission is to help people get and stay out of pain with regular chiropractic adjustments.
Is he the best chiropractor in Lake Forest or the best chiropractor in Mission Viejo? What about the best chiropractor in Orange County? We can’t say for certain, but we can say yeah, probably.
If you’re looking for a chiropractor in Orange County, Mission Viejo or a chiropractor in Lake Forest, CA, Tim’s your man.