Sciatica can be a painful and highly irritating problem. Make sure that you’ve seen a doctor and are following their recommendations. If you still encounter some discomfort, here are some more things you can do on your own to find relief!
Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
Stress that is carried in the muscles of the lower back and hips is definitely a huge contributor to sciatica and other related problems. Before anything else, Silver Sneakers recommends you do certain exercises at home to both strengthen and stretch the muscles in question. For stretching, you can lay on your back and gently pull your leg from behind the knee, and then hold your knee against your chest. You can also stand in front of an object around shin height, rest your heel on top, and then lower your torso towards your leg while keeping both straight.
For strength, you can do bridges, where you lie on your back with your knees bent and slowly raise your core and waist until you make a straight line from your neck to your knees. Hold it a few seconds and then gently let it back down. Do some research into what exercises would be best for you!
Chiropractic Treatments
According to Tigard Chiropractic & Auto Injury, chiropractic treatments can activate the body's natural healing capabilities, reducing your need to rely on medications for pain relief. While it may cost you a little extra to have it done professionally, the results are well worth it! Massage therapy especially will target the precise muscles in question and provide pain relief without having to use medication. Chiropractors, being experts on the spinal bones and muscles, will likely have dealt frequently with sciatica and will know exactly how to go about providing pain relief and healing.
At-Home Remedies
The great thing about massages is that you can get one from any trusted friend or family member! Amateur massage therapy, while lacking medical insight, still is very likely to help relieve pain to at least some extent. According to Healthfully, other easy, at-home methods for treating muscle or nerve pain include using hot or cold treatments, like a bath, sauna, heating pad, or ice pack, to either alleviate or accentuate the circulation of the area in question. Do the proper research to make sure the method that you choose is right for you.
The key to pain relief is consistency. If you stretch and strengthen your core day after day, and go on regular visits to a trusted chiropractor, there is no doubt that you will begin to feel different in only a matter of weeks. Be gentle with your body and it will heal.
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