When To Get Sciatica Treatment
Many of us have experienced sciatica at one time or another. Sciatica symptoms may sometimes indicate more serious medical conditions, so it is crucial to know when to get treatment for sciatica.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica, generally speaking, is the inflammation or irritation of the largest nerve in the human body: the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve starts in the lower back and extends downward through the buttock, around the thigh, down the leg and into the foot.
Sciatica usually presents as a deep, severe pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve: originating in the lower back, extending through the buttock and down into the leg.
When Is Sciatica Treatment Necessary?
If you are experiencing sciatica pain following an accident or traumatic injury, you should get medical treatment for your sciatica as soon as possible to rule out other more serious conditions. Moreover, you should consult your doctor if you have cancer or HIV and you experience sciatica symptoms.
That said, sciatica will often resolve itself over time, especially with bed rest. Patients who stop doing most of their physical activities and stay in bed report seeing improvement in their sciatica symptoms within a few days.
Physical movements affect the severity of sciatica symptoms, so many patients will experience relief by shifting positions or by not attempting an activity that exacerbates the condition, like walking down stairs or sitting a certain way.
What Sciatica Treatment Is Available?
Patients who suffer from severe, chronic sciatica may need to have surgery. However, this is a drastic treatment, and most patients try more conservative remedies before they opt for surgery.
In states where it is available, medical cannabis, or medical marijuana, has proven effective in the treatment of sciatica pain. Use of medical marijuana is prohibited by federal law, but several states have chosen to make this pain-relieving drug legal for patients who suffer from certain conditions, sciatica among them.
Other patients have reported getting relief from their sciatica symptoms through hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapists use special relaxation techniques to put the patient in a suggestible state of being; then they provide a focal point for the patient to concentrate on when the patient feels pain. Focusing repeatedly on the focal point helps relieve the sciatica pain.
Patients who are able to be physically active have found exercise to be helpful in managing their sciatica. In particular, exercises that strengthen the body's core, improve the posture, and work the muscles that support the spine are thought to help in the treatment of sciatica.
