Pain in the lower back is common in many adults in the United States. Often, this pain spreads into the back of one of your legs through the sciatic nerve. This is known as sciatica.
The sciatic nerve is the longest single strand of nerve in your body. It runs from the lower back down through each of your legs. Pressure on the spinal canal in your lower back can cause inflammation in the sciatic nerve, which leads to sciatica.
Treatments for sciatica vary on a case-by-case basis. Many people experience mild sciatica symptoms after sitting for too long. Usually, walking around and stretching helps in these cases. However, prolonged sciatic nerve pain requires treatments from health care professionals like physical therapists.
1. Exercising and stretching
While you can take medications to help relieve sciatic nerve pain, these usually do little more than mask the pain. Physical therapists can treat the pain at its source. Therapeutic exercises and stretches are designed to take some pressure off the lower back. This helps reduce inflammation on the sciatic nerve.
Stretches and exercises not only help reduce current sciatic nerve pain, but they also help prevent future pain from developing since stronger and more flexible muscles reduce pressure off the spinal canal.
2. Manual therapy
Physical therapists use manual therapy techniques to mobilize the joints and soft tissue into positions you wouldn’t be able to obtain on your own. These mobilization techniques are designed to reduce tension in soft tissue and to take the pressure off the spinal canal.
If you visit a physical therapist for sciatica treatment, they may use a variety of manual therapy techniques to help you recover. They will examine your condition and your medical history to ensure that the manual therapy methods they use will be gentle and suitable for your needs.
3. Posture and diet guidance
Some lifestyle habits like a poor diet and poor posture attribute to sciatic nerve pain. Sitting for too long or with poor posture puts additional pressure on your lower back, which can lead to chronic sciatica. Poor diets can lead to weight gain, which increases pressure and strain on your spine in your lower back.
Physical therapists can provide you with information and guidance to help you make improvements in your life that help reduce and prevent sciatic nerve pain.
Visit Peak Performance Sports and Physical Therapy today for sciatica treatment
Sciatic nerve pain can keep you from enjoying many activities in life. Don’t let sciatica slow you down any longer. Contact us today to learn more about sciatica treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.
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