Sciatica: What You Need to Know about the Condition and How to Effectively Treat it
Sciatica affects many individuals in the UK, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe. At the extreme end of the scale, sciatica can be debilitating, making it is impossible to carry out your normal activities. Even mild sciatica can impact your life, so it is crucial to learn as much as you can about the condition and the possible treatment options.
Treatment can include everything from lifestyle changes to medications to surgery, and the option that is right for you will depend on your overall medical history and doctor’s recommendations. It is important to look at many different treatment options to have the best chance of overcoming your sciatica and ensuring it doesn’t return.
Understand The Symptoms
The first step to understanding sciatica and what it may mean for you is to understand the symptoms. These can vary from person to person and may present in different levels of severity. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Shooting, stabbing or burning pain
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Weakness
This can affect your bottom, back and legs or any combination of the three.
Seek a Formal Diagnosis
If you suspect you have sciatica, it is crucial to seek a diagnosis from your GP. They will ask you questions about the symptoms you’re experiencing and develop a treatment plan that may involve a range of options, including medication, physical therapies or surgery if the sciatica is severe. Once you have your diagnosis, you will be able to find ways to improve the condition and prevent it from returning.
Learn about the Science
It can help to understand the science behind sciatica and how it impacts the body. Sciatica is a form of nerve pain affecting the sciatic nerve and is caused by injury or irritation to that nerve. Because of the length of the nerve, it can cause significant pain, hindering daily life. The sciatic nerve runs from the bottom of the spine, branching out into two nerves that run down through your bottom to your feet. This is why sciatica can cause issues for so many parts of the body.
Try Out Home Remedies
Often, your doctor may want you to treat your sciatica at home before you get medical intervention. This is because sciatica usually resolves on its own after a few weeks, and it is always best to avoid medical intervention unless truly necessary.
There are plenty of things you can do at home to help your sciatica resolve. Heat packs or creams can help to alleviate pain, and over-the-counter painkillers may also help. You should also continue to exercise gently as much as you can.
Know What To Avoid
There are also some essential things to avoid to stop your sciatica from getting worse. It may be tempting to rest up, but doing so may actually make your sciatica worse or take longer to heal. It is also a good idea to live a healthy lifestyle and consider quitting smoking if you smoke. Smokers are at a higher risk of developing sciatica, so quitting can make all the difference in curing and preventing the condition.
Find a Chiropractor
Chiropractic can be an excellent way to help treat your sciatica. You should look for a chiropractor with plenty of experience dealing with those with sciatica, ensuring that you will get the best possible care tailored to the condition. Always choose a fully qualified and experienced chiropractor to ensure your safety and health is in the best hands.
Chiropractic treatments can result in immediate relief of sciatica pain, making it an ideal choice. Take a look at the options from Life Balance Chiropractic Centre to better understand how this type of intervention may benefit you.
Improve your Posture
Many people develop sciatica because of issues with their posture. Poor posture puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, and if left, it can cause irritation or injury that results in sciatica. You could work with a physiotherapist to improve your posture or take up exercises like yoga which strengthen and improve posture. You should also ensure that you sit correctly at your desk when working, with your monitor chair and desk all aligned ergonomically.
Manage your Pain
The pain of sciatica can be one of the hardest parts to live with, making it harder to exercise, enjoy time with family and work. Managing the pain can be tricky, and you may need to try various options until you find one that works. As mentioned above, chiropractic treatment can help with the pain.
Medications like ibuprofen can also help, or your doctor or pharmacist may be able to recommend pain relief tailored to sciatica. Hot compresses are also recommended to manage the pain and reduce the swelling, but these should always be used with caution. Because sciatica can cause numbness, it is possible to scald yourself if using a compress or hot water bottle that is too hot.
Stay Fit and Active
It is essential to be as fit and healthy as possible to help you overcome and prevent the recurrence of sciatica. When you’re dealing with sciatica, you should do as much exercise as you feel able to without overdoing it or causing yourself too much pain. Gentle stretches can be ideal, along with mild activities like walking and seated yoga. Try to do some exercise every day, even if you don’t feel up to it, to speed up your recovery.
Keep Mentally Healthy
Sciatica can also have an impact on your mental health, as dealing with pain on a daily basis can be exhausting. It can also prevent you from getting a good night’s rest, which will also affect your mental health. Talking to a therapist about your condition and any negative feelings you’re having surrounding it can be helpful.
They will be able to help you work through your emotions, find ways to stay positive and develop healthy coping mechanisms. It is best to choose a therapist with plenty of experience helping those with chronic or sudden illness or injury. They should also be fully qualified and registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Look At Steroid Treatments
If home remedies and time are not able to combat your sciatica effectively, you may need medical intervention. The first option suggested is often steroid injections, which can help reduce or eliminate the pain of sciatica and reduce the swelling of the nerve. The injection will be direct to the nerve and may not resolve sciatica entirely, meaning you may need ongoing injections to help manage pain.
Consider Surgical Options
Surgery is only recommended for a very small percentage of people who experience sciatica. This is often offered only after all other treatments have failed and you’re still experiencing sciatica pain after a few months of trying to resolve it. The surgery available is decompression surgery, which involves either bone or spinal disk that is causing sciatica.
This is a significant operation which is done under general anaesthetic and may require a hospital stay of a few days while you recover. It is often highly successful in relieving sciatica pain, reducing it significantly or even eliminating it entirely. As with any surgery, decompression surgery comes with possible side effects and risks, so you should do your homework and ensure the benefits outweigh the risks before going ahead with the surgery.
