Diagnosed With Sciatica – Now What?

Sciatica is typically a catch all for a condition which can be caused by a number of factors.  It is essentially the pain that is caused by the irritation, injury or compression of the sciatic nerve.

The sciatic nerve is a nerve that runs from the base of your spine, behind your hip and then down the back of your leg. The purpose of the nerve is to send signals from the brain to your muscles.  This means that sciatica can result in difficulties with movement in your legs.  However the seriousness of sciatica pain is usually in direct relation to what is causing the pain.  It could be as serious as a herniated disc or tumor or as mild as overuse.

Your first step in dealing with sciatica once you’ve been diagnosed is to determine the cause.  Hopefully your doctor or therapist had an idea of what is causing your pain. However if they haven’t you’ll need to pay close attention to when your pain is triggered.

Your second step once you’ve been diagnosed with sciatica is to let your body relax for a day or two.  Quite often sciatica pain will go away by itself.  Stretching, hot and cold compresses, and the occasional anti inflammatory or over the counter pain medication can help alleviate pain.

Your next step, assuming you have the okay from your doctor or therapist, is to get active.  Assuming your sciatica isn’t the result of a serious injury to your spine or a tumor which requires surgery, activity is often the best treatment for sciatica.  Now that doesn’t mean to go out and run a marathon however an extended period of inactivity can actually worsen pain symptoms.

Depending on the cause for your sciatica, diagnosis may include a sciatic treatment plan which may involve:

-          Stretching

-          Exercises

-          Strength training

-          Massage

-          Manual therapies like cranial sacral therapy

-          Chiropractic treatments

-          Physical therapy

-          Steroid injections

-          Acupuncture

-          And potentially surgery

The truth is that some of these treatments work and others don’t.  If you’ve been diagnosed with sciatica and living with it for quite some time you know that many basic treatments don’t work. 

Steroid, surgery and a lifetime supply of pain medications are not the answer for most people.

In some cases, physical therapy can actually make the pain symptoms worse.  The most significant and long lasting treatment involves obtaining proper alignment and balance within your body.

A sciatica diagnosis doesn’t mean you’re faced with chronic pain for the rest of your life.  Sciatica is very treatable and is often easily managed with a simple muscle balancing protocol.  It is important to obtain a diagnosis from a doctor or therapist as sciatica can be caused by some serious ailments including spinal injury and tumors.  Take care of yourself today to prevent future sciatica pain.

Find out more about sciatica treatments and remedies