Sciatic Nerve Pain Remedy

If you've ever experienced sciatic nerve pain, it's not a sensation you'll soon forget. It's often a sharp, shooting discomfort that starts somewhere in your lower back and branches down through the leg. But this sciatic pain seldom comes alone. It usually brings with it a sense of tingling, prickling or numbness. Sometimes it can even cause a certain level of weakness, especially as the pain persists. Yet there are a number of remedies for this nerve pain, most of which entail simple self-care steps that can lead to relief.

Self-Care Remedy

• When you experience sciatic nerve pain, make sure to get some rest. Most pain involving the sciatic nerve is a result of pressure being placed on its root. This pressure is often due to a herniation within a spinal disk, so get some rest. By resting the back, you can lessen some of the inflammation that is causing you pain. However, bed rest is rarely what the doctor orders. Try to continue with your usual activities, resting periodically for the first few days following the onset of sciatic nerve pain.

  Along with this periodic rest, start applying ice to the origin of the pain. For most people, sciatic nerve pain emanates from the lumbar region of the back, so apply ice to this area for anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes several times throughout the day. A decrease in both swelling and pain should soon follow.

  After a couple of days of just applying cold, start incorporating some heat into your treatment plan. In between each icing, hold a hot pad to your lower back for 15 to 20 minutes. While icing reduces inflammation and pain, the heat can loosen any tightness and add some further comfort to the sciatic nerve.

  As you notice a change in the level of nerve pain, start to integrate a bit more physical exertion into your daily routine. Gently stretching the lower back can ease pressure off the sciatic nerve and reduce pain. Biking around town, taking a few laps in the pool or simply walking through your neighborhood can all boost your health and speed up recovery.

  To continue on the path to wellness, keep adding new and different activities to increase your level of fitness and prevent further injury. Remember, the sciatic nerve pain is often a result of problems within your back, so incorporate exercises that strengthen your core. Focus on both your abdominal muscles and your back muscles. They work together to toughen your core.

Medical Remedy

• Of course, if these self-care measures don't improve the sciatic nerve pain, more aggressive forms of treatment are necessary to remedy your condition. Though doctors commonly recommend the treatments already described, they may find that you need to take part in some physical therapy to help heal the origin of pain and strengthen your lower back. Sometimes, you may need to use steroidal injections or even surgery to decrease the inflammation and remedy the sciatic nerve pain. It all depends on the severity of the injury and amount of sciatic nerve pain you are experiencing.