The Life Of Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition that occurs when a person’s sciatic nerve becomes irritated, leading to pain along the back of one leg. This article reviews the symptoms of sciatica, how to treat and manage it, how long it lasts, and when to see a doctor.




Sciatica can be acute or chronic. An acute sciatica episode may last between one and two weeks and usually resolves itself in a few weeks. It’s fairly common to experience some numbness for a while after the pain has subsided. You may also have sciatic episodes a handful of times a year.


Acute sciatica may eventually turn into chronic sciatica. This means the pain exists pretty regularly. Chronic sciatica is a life-long condition. It doesn’t currently respond well to treatment, but the pain from chronic sciatica is often less severe than the acute form.


For many people, sciatica responds well to self-care. Rest for a couple of days after a flare-up begins, but don’t wait too long before resuming activity. Long periods of inactivity will actually make your symptoms worse.


Applying hot or cold packs to your lower back may provide temporary relief. You can also try these six stretches to help relieve sciatic pain.


Over-the-counter medication, like aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil), may help reduce inflammation, swelling, and alleviate some of your pain.


If your symptoms are severe and home remedies aren’t reducing your pain, or if your pain is getting worse, see your doctor. They might prescribe medications to relieve your symptoms, such as:


anti-inflammatories

muscle relaxers if spasms are present

tricyclic antidepressants

antiseizure medications

narcotics in severe cases


Many lifestyle choices can cause sciatica to appear or flare up. Most relate to a person’s chronic sedentary lifestyle. Sitting for long periods, especially with bad posture, can trigger symptoms or make them worse. Even lying down for long periods can aggravate the sciatic nerve. Another acute cause of sciatica is lifting heavy objects without the proper technique. This can lead to a slipped disk, which can put pressure on the sciatic nerve.


If sciatica pain lasts more than 6 weeks or becomes too severe, consider talking to a doctor. Medical professionals may prescribe medications or spinal steroid injections to help relieve symptoms. To treat the underlying cause, a doctor might suggest seeing a physical therapist for manual manipulation, massage, and specific sciatica exercises. If the sciatic pain continues for 6 months up to 1 year, a doctor might perform surgery to remove part of the spinal disk that affects the nerve.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Chiropractic Neck Adjustment

Image
  Neck pain is the worst kind of overachiever. It’s so common that it’s the fourth-leading cause of disability globally, following ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and lower respiratory infection. Nearly 30 percent experience it each year. And it’s not always centralized in the neck. It can radiate across your whole upper body, affecting your shoulders, arms and chest and can even cause headaches. Living with neck pain can be miserable, making it hard to focus and get through the day. Neck pain can be debilitating and may interfere with day-to-day life, including your ability to sleep, feel productive, and enjoy time with friends and family. And it affects more than just your physical body. Studies have shown that chronic pain can have an impact on a person’s mental health; up to 80% of patients with chronic pain are affected by severe depression. The Chiropractic Neck Adjustment Chiropractic neck adjustments, called cervical manipulation, loosen up the joints of the ce
Read more

Dealing with Arthritis in the Jaw

 Pain in the jaw joint could be the result of TMJ, or temporomandibular joint syndrome. Here's everything you need to know about this confusing condition, including home treatment options that can help ease symptoms.  It’s common for kids with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to have arthritis in their temporomandibular joint (TMJ), or jaw. Pediatric rheumatologists often check their patients’ jaws because symptoms can be silent or mild at first TMJ flare up  don’t just affect mouth, they also make entire upper body ache. Face will feel incredibly sore, as if  been grinning all day, Eyes will feel so tired that it’s hard to keep them open. It's challenging to use the computer or read books because the postures aggravate the neck  which is also affected by JA  and shoulders. Muscles are knotted and irritated. Teeth often ache as if I have an infection, and this usually happens in the middle of the night. Not to mention the typical fatigue and soreness that come with a flare.
Read more

Natural TMJ Remedies

Image
 TMJ disorder, also called temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD or TMJD), can cause extreme discomfort and pain to people who have it. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, about 5% to 12% of Americans suffer with TMJD.   Each side of the head has TMJ, which sits just in front of the ears. The temporomandibular joint merges the mandible (lower jaw) and the temporal bone of the skull. TMJ is one of the most intricate joints in the body. Why is this so? The TMJ enables the movement of the jaw in many directions from moving forward and back, opening and closing, to gliding side to side. These movements allow us to perform important actions such as chewing, yawning, and talking.  Similar to how the spine has discs, the TMJ also has a disc within it. The disc absorbs shock and force whenever the joint moves, including when eating and during other movements. Symptoms and Signs of TMD  TMD can arise from different causes, and the pain and experience of i
Read more