Sciatic Pain Relief Solutions
What is Sciatica?
In short, sciatica is pain that radiates down along the sciatic nerve.
The sciatic nerve is one of the largest nerves in the body. It starts near the base of the spine, passes through the pelvis, the buttocks, and travels down the leg. Sciatic pain is caused by anything that compresses or irritates this nerve.
The first step towards sciatic pain relief is to find and treat the compression. But this is only a temporary solution. For long term sciatic pain relief, you need to address the underlying causes of the compression.
Symptoms of Sciatica
If you are reading this, I probably don’t need to tell you about painful sciatica can be. Sciatic nerve pain can manifest in many different ways, but to be sure, it can really impact your life and cause many problems. Some people only experience a tingling or numbness at the base of their spine, in their hips, or buttocks. For others it can take the form of a intense sharp pain that radiates all the way down their leg to their toes. It can be painful to sit, stand, walk, or even lie down.
The important thing to know about sciatica is that a variety of things can cause it. The condition known as sciatica is really just a common name for a collection of symptoms.
However, the source of most sciatic pain is compression of irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs from the base of the spine through the buttocks and hips, and all the way down the leg. The sciatic nerve is responsible for relaying messages back and forth from the brain to the muscles of the leg. The problem is that that compression that causes sciatic pain can happen anywhere along this route. Pain felt in one location may be caused by a problem somewhere else. For effective sciatic pain relief, you need to find and treat the underlying causes of the compression.
Common Causes of Sciatic Nerve Pain
- Piriformis Muscle Syndrome – A hip muscle pinches the nerve.
- Bulging Disk/Herniated Disk – A spinal disc bulges and pinches the sciatic nerve.
- Spinal Stenosis – Narrowing of the spinal canal and the region surrounding the nerve roots.
- Spondylolisthesis – Vertebra become unstable and shift out of position, putting pressure on the disc and nerves.
Treatments for Sciatica
1. Identify what is causing the pain
The first step in treating sciatic pain is to determine where and what is causing the pain. Because pain will often radiate down a nerve, the pain may be caused in one location, but you may feel it in an entirely different location.
Therefore, it is important to see a qualified medical specialist such as your doctor or an osteopath. They will be able to determine which of the four main causes of sciatica that you have.
Go see a doctor!
2. Treat the pain and/or inflammation
Once you know the source of your sciatic pain, then you can begin selecting the appropriate treatment. Your doctor will probably recommend a combination of rest, anti-inflammatory drugs and cold therapy to reduce any swelling. In severe cases, your doctor might recommend sterioid injections and/or surgery. But the good news is that this is rare.
These initial treatments, however, only treat the immediate symptoms and offer only temporary sciatic pain relief. For ongoing relief, you will most likely need to learn a series of exercises and stretches that help to relieve pressure and prevent further irritation to your sciatic nerve.
3. Keep the pain from happening again
These treatments will help you relieve your sciatic pain and return to normal life. However, there is some bad news. The conditions that led to your sciatica were probably years in the making. If you only treat the initial symptoms, your pain can, and probably will eventually return. Back and nerve pain is usually the accumulated result of lifestyle and personal habits. These habits result in muscle imbalances that eventually throw your system out of alignment. When choosing a therapy for your sciatica, make sure you choose one that takes all of these considerations into account.
The goal is long term freedom from sciatica, sciatic pain relief that lasts a lifetime.
Sciatica and Sciatic Pain Relief
If you are reading this, I probably don’t need to tell you
about painful sciatica can be. Sciatic nerve pain can
manifest in many different ways, but to be sure, it can really
impact your life and cause many problems.
The important thing to know about sciatica is that a variety
of things can cause it. The condition known as sciatica is
really just a common name for a collection of symptoms.
However, the source of most sciatic pain is compression of
irritation of the sciatic nerve. The problem is that the
sciatic nerve runs from the base of the spine through the
buttocks and hips, and all the way down the leg. The sciatic
nerve is responsible for relaying messages back and forth from
the brain to the muscles of the leg. The compression that
causes sciatic pain can happen anywhere along this route.
The first step in treating sciatic pain is to determine where
and what is causing the pain. Because pain will often radiate
down a nerve, the pain may be caused in one location, but you
may feel it in an entirely different location.
Therefore, it is important to see a qualified medical
specialist such as your doctor or an osteopath. They will be
able to determine which of the four main causes of sciatica
that you have.
Once you know the source of your sciatic pain, then you can
begin selecting the appropriate treatment. Your doctor will
probably recommend a combination of rest, anti-inflammatory
drugs and cold therapy to reduce any swelling. In severe
cases, your doctor might recommend sterioid injections and/or
surgery. But the good news is that this is rare.
These initial treatments, however, only treat the immediate
symptoms and offer only temporary sciatic pain relief. For
ongoing relief, you will most likely need to learn a series of
exercises and stretches that help to relieve pressure and
prevent further irritation to your sciatic nerve.
These treatments will help you relieve your sciatic pain and
return to normal life. However, there is some bad news. The
conditions that led to your sciatica were probably years in
the making. If you only treat the initial symptoms, your pain
can, and probably will eventually return. Back and nerve pain
is usually the accumulated result of lifestyle and personal
habits. These habits result in muscle imbalances that
eventually throw your system out of alignment. When choosing
a therapy for your sciatica, make sure you choose one that
takes all of these considerations into account.
The goal is long term freedom from sciatica, sciatic pain
relief that lasts a lifetime.


