Sciatica and back pain afflicts thousands of Americans every year. There are ways to ease it without running up the medical bill or depending on pain meds.
Thousands of Americans suffer from back pain every year, heading to doctors and the hospital for help. Sciatica is one such type of back pain that afflicts many people and can be one of the most painful back conditions. Not only does it cause pain in the lower back, but the pain can also spread down the legs. Sciatica can be very debilitating, especially when it affects the lower body. Many people run up their medical bills in the hopes of easing their sciatica – from getting x-rays to prescription painkillers. However, there are ways to ease sciatica without depending on the doctor or pain meds.
Movement Can Help Ease Sciatica
It may seem counter-intuitive, but exercising and moving around can help ease sciatica. It may even seem impossible to do if you’re in enough pain. However, doing the right kind of exercises can make a world of difference when it comes to easing your pain. In fact, walking and biking have been linked to a declining risk of being hospitalized due to sciatica. By walking and biking regular, participants in the study lowered their risk by 33%.
Stretching And Sciatic Pain Relief
Stretching can also help significantly relieve sciatic pain. Many yoga poses, such as reclining and sitting pigeon poses, cannot only help ease pain, but prevent it as well. The use of foam rollers can also help in relieving lower back tension and hip pain – two problems associated with sciatica. If you intend to use a foam roller, however, make sure that you do it correctly, as any incorrect movement can make the pain worse and even result in injury.
Physical Therapy And Sciatica
Physical therapy is a proven way to help relieve all back pain, including sciatica. Many doctors will even refer you to a physical therapist for treatment. However, a referral is not necessary for many physical therapy clinics. A physical therapist will do their own diagnosing of your pain, looking to find out where the pain is coming from and what they can do to fix it.
Sciatic and lower back pain is not often caused by the major culprits – such as slipped discs and pulled muscles. Weak supporting muscles, especially in the core, can sometimes cause back pain. A physical therapist will work to diagnose the pain and the cause so as to help relieve sciatic pain. Furthermore, physical therapy can help prevent it from occurring again. They may assign exercises to strengthen the core, stretches to ease pain, and even manual treatments such as massages and Graston.
The physical therapists at OSR can help you with your sciatic pain. Not only will they individualize your treatment, but they will make sure that the treatment is working to your benefit. Many of our physical therapists are training in manual therapies and specialty rehabilitation, which can aid greatly in becoming sciatic pain-free.
