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I want to share with you the various methods of sciatica pain relief. People that suffer from this symptom really do have a rough time. It’s in your back, so you feel it every time you twist or move. Relief is easier than most people would think.

This type of pain is caused by a compression or irritation of nerve roots, typically in the back. As you get older, you may experience this or if you’re pregnant you may experience. When you’re pregnant, your insides literally fill up. This means other organs get pushed out and what happens a lot is that a nerve root is pushed on and compressed, which will cause this severe pain.

Here are some methods for dealing with this:

Medical Marijuana: This may not be the best option depending on your countries laws or if you’re pregnant. Marijuana is a very good tool for relieving nausea and pain. If you use it, make sure you’ve consulted a doctor and you’re doing it in a legal fashion. Acupuncture: This can be very effective. Having needles stuck in your skin can have a great effect. At lot of tension can be released in the back which will relieve compression on nerve roots. Chiropractic: Using a chiropractor can be a very effective method. People I’ve talked to about it describe these people as “miracle workers”. They will twist your body in the weirdest positions, but when you leave you’ll feel like a million bucks.

These are some methods for achieving sciatica pain relief.

Sciatica or sciatic nerve pain can be the most distressing of conditions to suffer with. With its various potential causes as well, knowing the correct treatment can also be a great dilemma.

One potential cause of sciatica is tight muscles, and in particular tight Piriformis or Hamstring muscles.

These muscles are a potential source of sciatic pain due to their position relative to the sciatic nerve as it passes through the buttock & down the leg.

The sciatic nerve itself is formed from 5 nerve roots which leave the spine in the lower back region. As these nerve roots leave the spine, they come together to form the sciatic nerve.

This nerve then passes through the buttock region, which is where the Piriformis muscle is situated. Consequently, as the sciatic nerve passes through the buttock area, it also passes straight through, or underneath (it varies from person to person) the Piriformis muscle.

As the sciatic nerve then continues on its journey down the back of the leg, it also encounters the hamstring muscles, which are situated at the back of the thigh. Once again, the sciatic nerve passes through the hamstrings on its way.

Therefore, if either of these muscles are tight, they place increased stress across the sciatic nerve. This can be quite literally due to a squeezing effect on the nerve, or also due to the tightness not allowing the sciatic nerve to move as freely as it should be able to. Either way, the tightness places increased stress across the nerve, potentially resulting in pain.

In order for the body to be able to heal the sciatic nerve from the increased stress and the subsequent pain which has resulted, a suitable exercise programme needs to be embarked upon.

It is easier to show these exercises with the use of diagrams, therefore I have placed a link at the bottom of this article which will show you the best way to stretch these muscles.

Tightness in muscles can also be associated with weakness of other muscle groups. This is referred to as ‘Muscle Imbalance’ and is one of the main causes of sciatica.

Especially if you feel that your sciatica is beginning in your buttock region, as opposed to your lower back, their is a fair chance it is muscle imbalance which is the cause of your pain.

Following on from this, if your pain begins in the buttock area, there is a good chance it is specifically a tight Piriformis muscle which is responsible for the sciatica you are suffering. If this is the case, introducing a Piriformis stretch should assist with resolving your pain.

In summary, tight muscles can, without doubt, be a cause of sciatica. In such circumstances, an appropriate stretching exercise programme will clearly be needed. This in turn will reduce the stress being placed across the sciatic nerve and therefore assist the body in healing yourself from the pain you are suffering.

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OK, if you are now reading this article with the hope of me informing you about some wonderful herbal medicine you can take, therefore resolving your low back pain or sciatica, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. However, if you are reading this because you are looking for as natural treatment as you can find to cure you low back pain and sciatica, please read on.

Many people who are suffering in pain, whether or not it is low back pain, sciatica or any other type of pain, often turn to herbal remedies as an alternative to more conventional medicine. This is because they feel by taking herbal supplements it will be better for their body than pharmaceutically manufactured drugs.

How much of that is true is probably up for debate and let’s not forget that even herbal remedies can be harmful if taken incorrectly. Anyway, my argument to this would be why not use the most natural treatment available to us all, our body’s own fantastic healing process!

Whenever you injure yourself, be it a simple cut, twisted ankle or broken bone, your body naturally tries to heal itself. This is because it has an innate ability to do this. Therefore, if you have injured your lower back or are suffering with sciatica, exactly the same thing occurs, your body will try to heal itself again. Consequently, it is important you provide your body with the optimum conditions in order to have your own natural healing process working. The problem is we do not always do this.

Anytime at all, if you are performing a specific activity or are in a certain posture which is causing your pain levels to increase, you are interfering with the body’s natural healing capabilities. I often use the analogy here of keep on picking and scratching at a scab as the body tries to heal the cut underneath. If you keep on doing it, the cut will take longer and longer to heal. This is for the same reason that a cut on your elbow or one of your finger joints always takes longer to heal.

Moving on from that, if you are performing a certain activity or posture and are feeling very little or no pain at all, you are providing your body with better conditions in which to heal itself. Using the same analogy as in the previous paragraph, if you stop aggravating the cut and allow the body to being healing itself, that’s exactly what happens… the scab strengthens and the cut heals.

Therefore, if you are suffering with low back pain or sciatica, the emphasis needs to be on temporarily modifying / avoiding these aggravating activities, while encouraging those activities which are providing the better conditions to heal itself i.e. the ones you can perform without aggravating your pain.

How many times has it been that you have been in pain for whatever reason, you have made an appointment to see a Health Professional, yet by the time you get to see them, the pain has resolved itself. Why do you think that is? I’m sure you know why, it is because your body’s fantastic healing process has been able to heal itself. The trouble is that we take this fantastic healing process for granted!

If you were to stop for a while and become more analytical as to what you could do to optimise the wonderful healing proprieties you possess, you would be able to accelerate this process so much more or even kick start a healing process which is not working properly yet.

Therefore, one of the most natural things you can do to help your pain is to analyse those activities you think either particularly aggravate your low back pain or sciatica along with those activities you find ease it. As soon as you have an idea of both, you need to temporarily avoid or modify those activities you know aggravate your pain and encourage those you know ease it.

This may sound quite simplistic, and there is definitely more to curing yourself of Low Back Pain or Sciatica than simply avoiding aggravating factors and encouraging easing ones. However, it is a fundamental part of resolving the pain you are in, and if this principle is incorporated into an appropriate exercise regime, your low back pain / sciatica should resolve itself rapidly, never to be seen again!

Sciatica pain may be experienced anywhere from the lower back to the calves, creating constant, nagging pain. The sciatic nerve, the longest in the body, originates in the lower back and runs downward in the back of each leg continuing to the toes of each foot. If this nerve has become aggravated due to injury or illness, the pain can radiate into wider areas of the body. Sufferers of this condition may not always realize that calf soreness and sciatica pain are a common issue.

Many Types of Sciatica Pain

Due to the fact that the sciatic nerve ranges over a large portion of the body, and will be found in such a variety of body masses, it is not surprising that the pain of sciatica irritation may be described quite differently from person to person. Many people suffering the condition complain of a sharp pain that originates in the lower back and travels downward into the leg, often through to the toes. Numbness and tingling of the feet is commonly reported in the cases.

There are many occurrences where calf soreness is experienced but is not immediately attributed to sciatica. This sometimes delays correct treatment that targets the true source of the pain. Sometimes people associate calf soreness to unusual physical activity or improper footwear, but sciatica should be considered a possible cause of any extended period of discomfort.

Methods to Relieve Calf Soreness

When it has been determined that the soreness in your calves is caused by sciatica aggravation, there are several treatments that will provide relief. For immediate pain relief, common pain relief medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin can help. Long term treatment may require that persons suffering calf soreness and sciatica pain seek a more permanent solution.

Yoga exercises have been shown to strengthen muscles in the affected regions and may the key to long term relief from sciatica pain. The success of yoga has been directly proportionate to the severity of the sciatica condition. It has also be suggested that Yoga must be practiced regularly for an extended period of time to be of significant benefit.

However with regular practice, yoga can reduce both the pain and the number of flare-ups. For calf soreness, a qualified yoga instructor can suggest specific postures and movements that will relieve sciatica pain and promote long term relief.

Typically this will be accomplished by addressing three key issues. Initially the cause for aggravation to the nerve must be addressed to eliminate the immediate cause and reduce the pain. This would typically be followed by proper muscle alignment and muscle conditioning exercises. Often a primary component of the long term treatment involves aligning the pelvis and spine which could require from six months up to a year.

That should be followed up by routine exercises to maintain proper tone and muscle conditioning.

Many persons find that practicing yoga to ease sciatica pain and the soreness of calf muscles results in more than merely treating the pain. Additional benefits include improved overall mental and physical health that will benefit the entire body.

Osteoporosis literally means ‘porous bones’. Individuals with osteoporosis suffer brittle bones which can be broken more readily than someone who is not suffering with osteoporosis. However, this does not mean you are going to suffer a fracture, there will be plenty of people walking around suffering with osteoporosis of the spine who will never suffer any kind of fracture, with the condition itself having varying degrees of severity. It is often only when an individual suffers a fracture that they realise they are osteoporotic, consequently those that do not suffer a fracture pass through life never knowing.

As we go through life, our body continuously replaces / remodels our bones to keep them strong. However as we get older, this remodelling cannot always keep pace with the thinning of the bones which also naturally takes place. Consequently, slowly but surely the bone density is not as healthy as we would like it to be and osteoporosis can result.

With regards to Low Back Pain & Sciatica and the effect osteoporosis may have, it is primarily due to the vertebra of the spine loosing height which causes the pain. As the bone density of the vertebra decreases in those individuals with osteoporosis, the vertebra begin to loose height as a consequence of the weight being placed through them by our own body. When quite severe, the vertebra can become quite ‘squashed’ and this is often referred to as a compression fracture.

The consequences of this are two fold:

1) Posture . Due to the way in which the vertebra become compressed, it causes those suffering with osteoporosis to develop a ‘flexed’ or ‘stooped’ posture. In addition to this, once again as a result of the vertebra becoming compressed, significant height can be lost… it is as if you are shrinking! Even though your posture may be quite severely affected, you may not necessarily be suffering any pain at this stage. However, this is not a reason to be complacent and if you recognise any of these potential changes in posture, it is important you make an appointment to see you Doctor.

2) Pain . If you are suffering with compression fractures of the vertebra, there is a fair chance this is going to cause you pain at sometime, especially when the fracture is relatively new and your body has not been able to heal itself yet (it will though). If these fractures and their consequences begin to irritate the nerve roots which form the sciatic nerve in any way, sciatica i.e. pain down the legs, will result.

Osteoporosis is something which can be readily treated and the sooner you begin treating it the better. If you read my article “Low Back Pain, Sciatica & Osteoporosis – How to treat it” you will discover osteoporosis is not something you have to live with.

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Unfortunately, low back pain or sciatica is a fairly common complaint during pregnancy, with between 50% – 80% of women suffering from this complaint. However, although this problem can be difficult to treat, it should never be accepted as being ‘a part of pregnancy’. There are definitely measures which can be taken to try & resolve this problem.

In order to treat those suffering with Low Back Pain or Sciatica during pregnancy, we need to address the change in curvature of the spine and also any muscle imbalance present. These two causes, along with hormonal changes, are discussed in my article “Low Back Pain & Sciatica During Pregnancy… Why?”

Exercises

The aim of the following exercises are two fold:

1) “Reverse the Curve” At the moment the tendency is for your back to arch forward and increase the forward curve of your lower back. This places increased stresses across the surfaces of the facet joints. The following exercises will encourage your lower back & pelvis to move in the opposite direction. This will take the pressure away from the sensitive structures and encourage the pain to settle.

2) Strengthening. In order to carry out the movement described above, you will need to work your abdominal muscles. This will therefore help strengthen them. Increasing the stability of your abdominal muscles will help you to prevent your back from over arching, therefore helping to take pressure from the facet joints as mentioned above.

3) Stretching. Once again, by moving your lower back & pelvis in order to ‘Reverse the Curve’ the structures in the lower back which will be tightening due to the increased arch, will now be stretched out. This will further decrease the stresses being placed across the sensitive structures in you lower back.

Posterior Pelvic Tilt

A good exercise for this is to lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. The aim is then to flatten your back into the floor with a ‘back & downwards’ rotation of your pelvis.

If you find this difficult, you can try using your heels and bottom muscles to help out. As you attempt to flatten your lower back into the floor gently tighten your buttock / gluteal muscles while very gently pushing through your heels.

Four Point Kneeling Stretch

Placing yourself on all fours, with your knees approximately under your hips & hands below your shoulders, gently arch your back up towards the ceiling. Having done this, gently lean backwards as if to sit on your heels. While doing this, you may feel a stretch in your lower back area, further up your back towards your shoulders or down towards your buttocks and even upper leg. As long as it is only a stretch you are feeling and not pain, this is no problem.