|
Sciatica is the longest nerve in the body, originating in the lumbar spinal cord and descending down to the knees and feet. Any kind of irritation in this sciatica nerve can cause pain. The pain starts in the lower back or buttocks and slips down to the knees and ultimately to the feet. Herniation of the discs is another potent cause of sciatica. An x-ray, MRI or a CT scan can further confirm the status of your condition. Interestingly, in most of the cases, some self preventive measures like a little rest and avoiding things that can trigger the pain have proven that it can ease the pain to a great measure.
One of the most readily available sciatica treatments is ice or hot packs, according to ones condition. After 48 hours of the pain, applying any one of them can relieve you of the pain. A bit of stretching exercises can strengthen and relieve pressure from the affected area, but remember not to twist or jerk anything. Regarding the medications to be used, they are categorized into two categories. Generally, he one which relieves pain and inflammation and secondly, those which only cure the pain. But non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) like aspirin and ibuprofen are considered comprehensive in the sense that they can perform both these functions. NSAIDs have a lot of side effects like ulcers, bleeding of the stomach and sometimes nausea.
You should take these only after consultation from a doctor. Some stretching exercise and a bit of yoga can do wonders. You can take the help of a qualified physical trainer, if you want to cure your pain through exercise. If any of the above-mentioned methods does not work for you, then you need some serious treatments like steroid injections. Corticosteroids are the injections that are used to relieve the pressure and to get rid of the pain. The last sciatica treatment is surgery. Discectomy and micro-discectomy are some of the preferred surgical methods to remove pain resulting from sciatica.
|
