Sciatica pain can be debilitating and should never be ignored. Even at the first signs of sciatica pain, there are things you can do at home to ease the pain and prevent it from worsening.
Sciatica pain is when compression causes pain along the sciatica nerve. The first step to relieving the pain is to adopt healthy habits at home. If the pain won’t go away on its own and continues to worsen, you will need advanced treatment from a sciatica pain doctor.
Self-Care
We all know that self-care is important for a healthy life and this is especially true for taming sciatica pain. Luckily, there are things you can do at home to help the pain.
– Apply ice or heat to painful areas.
– Stretch, especially the hips, legs, and hamstrings. This helps ease tension and is an overall good habit to get into.
– Get up and move! Don’t sit for long periods of time. Movement is good for the pain.
Physical therapy is another option if things persist and if you don’t want to undergo treatment quite yet.
Ice & Heat
To start, apply ice to your lower back for the first seven days you are experiencing pain. This will help with the inflammation. Make sure to only leave on for 15-20 minutes and always put a thin barrier like a towel between the ice pack and your skin. Take the ice pack off for about 20 minutes and repeat this cycle for a total of about 90 minutes.
Heat can also help with the pain by increasing blood flow to the area, to help speed up healing. Heat can also relax muscles, perfect before a gentle stretch.
A heating pad is the best option or taking a warm bath is also great. Apply the heating pad to your lower back for about at least 15 minutes. You can leave on for up to 2 hours, just make sure you have a barrier between your body and the heating pad.
Stretching & Moving
They say a body in rest stays in rest and a body in motion stays in motion. This is even true with sciatica pain.
People might think that resting in a bed or chair will help with their pain, but they should be moving around! Going for a nice walk or a light swim can help relieve pain by strengthening your muscles to better support your spine, improve flexibility, boost blood flow to speed up healing, and keep your mind off the pain.
If you are experiencing sciatica pain, always try to take care of the issue at home. Most cases go away on their own within a few days of proper at-home treatment. If the pain persists, it is time to meet with a physical therapist or doctor to find the root of the problem and come up with a treatment plan to help your pain.
