Despite being one of the most frightening forms of pain, sciatic nerve pain is also one of the simplest to get rid of. Its treatment lasts an average of 3 months, but the pain can start decreasing in a matter of weeks.
Sciatica is the pain that affects the lower back, and it can evolve and reach up to the hips and legs. This pain is caused due to inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve.
Since the sciatic nerve happens to be the one with the largest diameter in the human body, it might affect a vast range of it and be one of the scariest types of pain a human can feel in severe cases.
Fortunately, medications that usually don’t require a doctor’s prescription tend to work fine in less severe cases. More importantly, it is also possible to treat sciatic nerve pain without even needing to recur on medication.
And it is mainly these drug-free alternatives to get pain relief that we will be covering in this article.
Do Exercise
Sedentary lifestyles, poor posture, and long time sitting can affect your back condition and cause you to feel several types of back pain – including sciatica.
Especially in sciatica’s case, if the pain you’re experiencing isn’t too intense, start exercising is one of the best decisions you can make to alleviate your pain.
A simple walk around your block preceded by a dedicated stretching session is more than enough to reduce pain in a few weeks (maybe in days) and strengthen your lower back muscles.
On the other hand, don’t overdo it. Avoid working out or playing sports while the pain remains. Putting too much effort might increase the pain and hurt your back even more.
Ice Pack or Heating Pad
There is always discussion over the topic, but the truth is we can find reports and evidence that both alternatives work – usually not at the same time, though.
Ice acts as an excellent agent against inflammation, while the heating pad stimulates blood circulation. That means both have different ways to work on the body, but both are reliable.
Test which of them brings the best results and opt for the one that works best in you.
Wrap a heating pad in a towel and place it on the lower back. Keep it there for a longer time interval, but use it less frequently than an ice pack. Try 15 minutes applications every 3 hours for the heating pad while the ice for 5 to 10 minutes, but apply it again in 15 minutes.
Medication
Popular NSAIDs like ibuprofen can relieve pain since they relieve inflammation as well. Then, they are commonly used to treat sciatic pain, even without prescription.
Nonetheless, it’s very important to make sure you’re not allergic to NSAIDs before taking them. Since they work by preventing an enzyme called COX-1, they can cause severe allergic reactions.
Other popular examples of NSAIDs are Aspirin (ASA), Naproxen and Diclofenac. So, if you have ever had trouble with any of these medications, better not taking a different NSAID on your own. Look for a doctor and opt for another alternative covered in this article.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture works by relaxing tight muscles, improving blood circulation, and releasing neurotransmitters to reduce pain; exactly what it takes to get relief from sciatic nerve pain.
Besides, acupuncture is safe and minimally invasive, so even though you might be scared of needles, it’s highly recommended to give it a try when the pain is getting so intense that you’re having second thoughts about trying to exercise to get relief from it.
There is also evidence that acupuncture presents better results than NSAIDs and other medications.
Chiropractic Care
Sciatica pain is caused by inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be on the lower part of our spine. Therefore, no other specialist could treat sciatica better than a chiropractor.
Chiropractic care is mostly spinal manipulation complemented by other manual therapies to help relieve muscle sore, stress, bad posture, and conditions like sciatica pain. In short, it’s highly recommended to reduce and treat any form of joint pain.
Besides that, doctors might not tell you, but sciatica pain can be intensified – or even caused – by stress. As chiropractic care is considered a holistic treatment – it provides health care and wellness for the whole body, not only for the back – it can also help reduce stress symptoms and show results to pain relief faster than any other treatment.
How to treat and get relief from sciatic nerve pain
There is no way to be sure of what methods will bring the best results for pain relief, but at least you have a full hand to try and heal from this horrible and scary form of back pain.
Other resources that are helpful to recover from sciatica pain are “patience” and “resilience”. The truth is, once you change your habits and start avoiding the practices that hurt your back, the time will do its job.
Every alternative to treating sciatica tends to speed up the healing process and relieve symptoms, but it is perfectly possible for you to get naturally healed just by practicing moderate exercises.
In any case, these are the best possible ways to treat sciatica pain; which of them you’ll recur to is up to you.
BCWNYC only expects to hear from you that you’ve healed from it and are doing fine.
Keep following our blog to learn the best ways to keep your body healthy by natural treatments.
