There’s nothing quite like the stinging, burning, and electrifying-like shock running through the single longest and widest nerve in the body better known as sciatica. It accounts for the most nerve activity in your lower back, buttocks and legs, which is what makes this type of nerve pain such an excruciating experience and if you’ve ever felt it before, you know just how debilitating it can be. Sciatica affects approximately 40% of Americans at least once in their lifetime, and it often overlaps with several other medical conditions, such as a herniated disc, pinched nerve, compressed nerve, or spinal stenosis. But the most important thing is that, whatever the cause, sciatica almost always responds well to treatment, which can be done right in the comfort of your own home with a little bit of patience and natural remedies.
What is Sciatica?
The term ‘sciatica’ can be confusing because it’s often used interchangeably to describe the longest and widest nerve in the body and to describe nerve pain that occurs in this area. For example, someone may say that they’re experiencing sciatica or they can say they are having pain in their sciatica. Both are one in the same.
But what is sciatica as a nerve and as a condition?
The sciatica nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It starts in your lower back and splits through your hips, extending down into your buttocks, legs and feet. It’s a mixed nerve, meaning that it has both motor (movement) and sensory (sensation) fibers. It’s the main nerve in the leg and allows you to stand, walk, and run.
Sciatica pain, which is often what the word ‘sciatica’ is used to describe, refers to pain and symptoms that travel like an electric spark throughout the entire path of your sciatica nerve. It can range from mild symptoms, such as tingling, aching and burning, to such severe symptoms that you are unable to move. The pain typically radiates down one side, but it can occur on both sides of your body and it all depends on the nerve root that is affected. For example, if you are experiencing problems with your S1 nerve located in your lower spine, you may feel pain along the back of your thigh and leg or on the outer side of your foot, but if the injury is at the L5 nerve, you will likely feel weakness in the foot instead.
Now, it is possible for more than one nerve root to be affected at the same time, which causes an overlapping of symptoms and often times, worsened and even unbearable pain.
What are the Causes of Sciatica?
Sciatica can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, with a herniated or slipped disk being the most common cause. However, these medical conditions and injuries can also be caused by a vast array of things as well – from a sports injury to a random slip or fall. For example, you may have a herniated disc causing your sciatica pain but your herniated disc may have been caused by a car accident or fall. As such, many of the causes can overlap one another.
Here are some common causes of sciatica:
- Herniated or slipped disk: the fragment of the disc nucleus pushes out of the annulus and into the spinal canal, placing pressure on the sciatica nerve
- Bone spurs: projections that develop along your bone edges that can put pressure on the nerves in your back
- Spinal stenosis: the narrowing of the space inside the backbone puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves
- Degenerative disk disease: the wear and tear of the disks in your spine that causes passageways to become narrower, pinching the sciatica nerve
- Piriformis syndrome: the neuromuscular disorder that causes tightness or spasms of the muscles in the buttocks that put pressure on the sciatica nerve
- Osteoarthritis: the aging spine begins to compress nerves in the lower back
- Trauma to the lumbar spine or sciatica nerve
- Tumors in the lumbar spinal canal placing pressure on the sciatica nerve
- Inflammation in the lumbar area putting pressure on the sciatica nerve
There are also several factors that put you at a higher risk of experiencing sciatica, such as:
- Age: between 30 and 50 year old
- Weight: being overweight, obese or pregnant puts pressure on your spine, which can increase your chances of getting a herniated disk
- Diabetes: can cause nerve damage
- Lifestyle: a lifestyle that consists of physical activities, such as contact sports
- Inactive lifestyle: being inactive can weaken the muscles in your back
- Career: a position that consists of heavy lifting or prolonged sitting can damage disks
- Previous Injury: having a current or previous injury to your lower back
- Poor core strength: weak core muscles that don’t provide enough support for your lower back
- Poor posture: whether you’re sitting or lifting weight, poor posture or bad form can lead to sciatica
Natural Treatment for Sciatica
Although there aren’t many positives that come from having sciatica, one thing you can count on is treatment as sciatica almost always responds well to it. However, the effectiveness of treatment highly depends on the cause. Be sure to try the different treatment options available – one at a time – and see which ones relieve your symptoms the most. It’s also recommended
That you seek medical treatment if you are experiencing chronic symptoms that aren’t responding to these home remedies, so you can receive a proper diagnosis.
Otherwise, using these natural treatments can relieve your symptoms in 4 to 6 weeks:
Applying ice and hot packs can be all you need to effectively treat your sciatica. Start with an ice pack to reduce the swelling, applying it for 20 minutes before switching to a heating pad for 20 minutes. Do this several times a day consistently for the first week or so. You may find one provides more relief than the other, so you can stick with that option moving forward.
Gentle Stretches
Performing gentle stretches daily can help release the tension in your back that’s causing your sciatica pain. Start with slow, therapeutic movements and gradually work your way towards core-strengthening exercises.
Physical Therapy
Seeking professional help from a physical therapist can make a huge impact on your overall recovery, as they will be able to provide you with specific movements based on your symptoms and the causes of them. They will also provide you with a plan for moving forward, so you know what to do and what to avoid until your back is healed.
Acupuncture
Book yourself an appointment with an acupuncturist and you won’t regret it. This alternative therapy involves placing thin needles into acupressure points on the body to release pressure and promote healing. It’s a natural form of treatment that works by stimulating the body to release natural painkillers and endorphins.
Spinal Traction Therapy
Take the pressure off of your pinched nerve and soothe the other affected areas with Spinal Traction Therapy. This helps stretch the spine to allow movement of water, oxygen and nutrients to flood the discs so they can heal quicker.
Massage Therapy
A good massage can go a long way for releasing pressure on the sciatica nerve to aid in the healing process. There are a variety of types of massages to choose from, so be sure to speak with a professional about your symptoms to find the best one for you. However, you’ll likely benefit from all types of massage as they increase oxygen and nutrients to the affected areas to promote healing.
Yoga
Pull out your yoga mat, turn on a Youtube video for lower back pain and start easing your back pain right at home. There are many different types of yoga to choose from, and just as many different classes that address all kinds of things that may be contributing to your pain, such as poor posture or the effects of sitting too long. You can also use yoga to stretch out the area to promote healing or to release pressure on the sciatica nerve.
Get Active
While it can seem impossible to be active when you have shooting pain running from your lower back down to your leg, exercise is exactly what you need to be doing to relieve that pain. Try to avoid sitting for long periods of time, take short walks if you can, and once you start feeling better, keep exercising, as it can help nourish your disks, improve your muscle and bone strength, and improve the flexibility of your sciatic nerve. This will provide both immediate and long-term benefits.
Anti-Inflammatory Topical Cream
There are several natural topical creams on the market that help reduce inflammation, which can be used to soothe and decrease sciatica pain. You can find them at your local pharmacy or online, and can be an excellent alternative to prescription medications.
Additional treatments that are available to you include:
- Over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) and naproxen (Naprosyn®, Aleve®) can help reduce inflammation and soothe pain associated with your sciatica to promote healing
- Prescription medications, such as muscle relaxants, are also a healing option that can be prescribed to you by a healthcare provider to relieve your pain and discomfort.
- Corticosteroid injections are anti-inflammatory medicine that gets injected into the lower back to reduce pain and swelling around the sciatica nerve. They provide effective but temporary relief, for approximately three months long. Then, you’ll need another injection. While this option doesn’t treat the problem, it can give you the relief needed to start exercising and doing other things that will.
- Surgery is sometimes needed in more severe cases where you aren’t getting any relief from the other treatment options available.
Sciatica pain is nothing to joke around about, as it can become debilitating if not treated properly and with that comes a flood of emotional and mental health symptoms as well. The natural remedies mentioned in this article should provide you with the relief and healing you need, but if your symptoms continue to worsen, you may require medical treatment.
