HOW CAN I RELIEVE MY SCIATICA PAIN?
Exercise Essentials BRACE MARCHING While lying on your back with your knees bent, slowly raise up one foot a few inches and then set it back down. Next, perform on your other leg. Use your stomach muscles to keep your spine from moving. Repeat 10 times. Helps With Sciatica Pain How can I relieve my sciatica pain? 1. Consult with a physical therapist ASAP. Other lower back conditions, such as the ones mentioned earlier, can present as sciatica symptoms and may be the cause of your sciatica. Because of this, it is important to determine the exact origins of your symptoms. By consulting with a physical therapist as soon as you begin to notice pain, you’ll be able to recover quicker and avoid damage to the spinal joints and nerves. 2. Use ice and heat. You can relieve your sciatica pains at home by alternating ice and heat packs to your buttock area. Ice helps to relieve inflammation, while heat helps relax muscles and improve blood flow. Active treatments: A physical therapist may use several types of treatments to reduce your sciatica pain and symptoms. Active treatments include motions, stretches, and specific exercises, aimed at reducing pain and accelerating healing. A physical therapist will also teach you different motions that you can do at home in order to manage your pain. If a physical therapist discovers any weak muscles, you will be given corrective exercises for core strengthening. The stretching exercises in physical therapy target muscles that are inflexible and tight. These exercises focus not only on the lower back, but also on the hip muscles, abdominal muscles, and glutes. All of the exercises you participate in will help strengthen the spinal column (including your tendons, ligaments, and supporting muscles) while also keeping the spine in proper alignment. Spinal mobilization: Spinal mobilization (gentle movements of the spine) are paired with your stretching exercises. Movements of each spinal segment helps to relieve pain while simultaneously increasing the mobility of your spine. Because it is paired with your prescribed stretching exercises, this pain relief method works to last in the long term.
Try keeping the ice pack on for 10 minutes, then off for 30 minutes before alternating to the heat pack. If you notice any additional pain, stop immediately. 3. Find the most comfortable sleeping position. Different sleeping positions can be more comfortable for those living with sciatica. It is important to find one that relaxes the lower back while also taking pressure off of the sciatic nerve. Two of the sleeping positions we recommend include: 1) Lying on your non-painful side with your knees bent comfortably, with the top knee slightly forward. 2) Lying on your back with a pillow under your knees. Try whichever one is most comfortable for you. If you notice additional pain with either of these positions, consult with your physical therapist to find the best sleeping position for you. 4. Stretch at home. Your physical therapist can provide you with targeted stretches to do on your own at home. A common stretch for relieving sciatica pain includes: lying on your back, knees bent, while slowly rocking your knees from side to side. This should gently stretch your lower back, thus relaxing the muscles and easing the pain on your sciatica nerve. Talk to your physical therapist to see if this stretch would work for you. If you are living with the constant aches and pains of sciatica, physical therapy can help bring you relief. Your physical therapist can provide you with a treatment plan that will help strengthen the muscles surrounding your sciatic nerve, by participating in targeted exercises and stretches. Physical therapy can also help improve your range of motion and posture, thus decreasing sciatica symptoms further and preventing them from occurring again in the future. Contact us today to get started on the first steps toward sciatica pain relief! If you notice any additional pain, stop immediately. Contact Rehability for sciatica pain relief:
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Always consult your physical therapist or physician before starting exercises you are unsure of doing.
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