Are you experiencing a series of low back pain that radiates from the back region into your legs or way into your feet? Well, you could be a victim of sciatica. Medical studies have described sciatica as a nerve pain that causes constant or intermittent soreness and discomfort whose effects range from warm to wet feelings in the thigh region to shooting pains in the area along the legs. In other instances, the pain could present with severe effects and may remain persistent for over three months under conservative treatment (also known as non-invasive treatments).
In essence, sciatica causes an injury or irritation on the sciatic nerve whose origin can be traced to the gluteal region. The sciatic nerve is distinguished as the largest (both in length and width) nerve in the human body, comprising five nerve roots (three from the sacrum end and two from the lumbar region). These five nerve roots merge to form the right and left sciatic nerves running on either side of the body.
While the sciatic nerve is exceptionally delicate, studies have presented evidence that it rarely experience actual injuries. However, the term “sciatica” is generally adopted to refer to the radiating pains that run from the lower back area to the lower leg region. Noteworthy, nerve injury is the denominator in all sciatica cases.
Besides the rhetoric, here are the sciatica treatment remedies for lower back and leg pains in New York. If you are looking for treatment for your sciatic nerve or pain relating to the sciatic nerve, reach out to a Spine Specialist today.
We are here to manage your sciatic nerve pain and provide you with the physical therapy and assistance you need for your pain relief. Here is what you must know about sciatica pain and options for treatment remedies when it comes to this issue.
Treatment Options For Lower Back Pain In New York
There are various types of physical therapy and other options for your sciatica pain. The idea is to understand the severity of your pain and to understand where it is coming from.
If you are aware of where the sciatica pain is coming from, that will help when you discuss this issue with your New York Spine Specialist. If you cannot pinpoint where the exact pain is originating from, you will certainly need to consult with the New York Spine Specialist today to get to the root of the problem.
Physical Exercise is A Critical Part of Self Care
Should I engage in physical exercise activities when I am experiencing pains in my legs and lower back area? Well, this could be everything you’ll need to treat your sciatica problem. It may seem a little strange when the New York Spine Specialist tells you to exercise when you are in pain.
However, it could be more surprising to know that too much resting could increase your leg and lower back pain symptoms. Most of the sciatica physical exercises involve stretching to strengthen and relieve stress in the lower back region and may accomplish the following roles:
- Lower back physical exercises tend to promote soft tissue healing
- Enhancing the functioning mechanism of your nervous system
- Decreasing sensitivity to pain
Your physician will recommend that you take the heat or infrared therapy before exercising to relieve any stress caused on your lower back region. These therapies are meant to warm up and loosen the stiffness in the tissues around the affected areas.
It would also be great to use an ice pack immediately after engaging in the recommended physical exercises to minimize soreness and pain. You may take a moment to engage in simple stretching activities at home or your workplace if you’re experiencing flaring or recurrent sciatica presentations.
However, you need to maintain your exercising schedules within tolerable limits (maybe starting with 2 repetitions as you move to 5).
Cold Packs and Heat Treatments
It may take a simple cold and heat treatment using an ice pack and heating pad to relieve all the pains associated with sciatica. Here, the ice treatment will help you reduce the inflammation, while the heat therapy will encourage rapid blood flow to the affected area. Increased blood flow to the painful region will speed the healing process.
It would be a great idea to use a commercial adhesive heat wrap when dealing with sciatica with the ability to provide a modest amount of heat for a long period (up to 8 hours). In addition, you may decide to wear the heat wrap under your clothing in your sciatica flare-ups as it is meant to adhere directly to your skin.
Use Topical Pain Medications
Topical pain medications meant to reduce the pains associated with sciatica come in body creams, gels, and patches with pain-relieving properties. Other manufacturers use custom ingredients that enhance the numbing effects of their topical pain medications.
In essence, these topical pain medications work by penetrating through your body tissues to act locally. Similarly, they are rarely associated with any side effects and may come in handy for sciatica patients who want to prevent long-term problems.
In most cases, topical pain medications will be sold as over the counter drugs and will come in the following formulations:
- Camphor
- Menthol
- Capsaicin
- Methyl salicylate
- Trolamine salicylate
At times, the New York Spine Specialist and others would recommend that you use more than one topical pain medication. However, you must be cautious to avoid direct contact with heat patches any time you resort to topical pain medications as your remedy of choice when dealing with sciatica symptoms. Similarly, it won’t be a great idea to combine topical pain medications with a cold treatment (like applying an ice pack) in the affected region at the same time.
Note: At times, you may resort to non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease the pains associated with sciatica. Many studies have considered NSAIDs as effective remedies when dealing with pains. However, you must be very keen to understand the health risks associated with NSAIDs before you commit your finances to purchase them. Therefore, it would be a great idea to discuss the efficacy of NSAIDs with your medic before making any commitment to it.
Here’s the list of NSAIDs sold as over the counter drugs:
- Naproxen (Aleve)
- Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil)
- Aspirin (Ecotrin)
Put on Your Hip or Lumbar Brace and Groin Support
Wearing braces can be what you may need to support and stabilize the tissues in the lumbar region. However, you must be very keen to ensure that you wear the braces intermittently and for a short duration to minimize the tendencies of experiencing the side effects associated with continuous and prolonged stiffness.
In essence, your lunar braces will help you relieve the pains emanating from the roots of the nerves in the back region while limiting the tendencies to engage in excessive spinal movements. In addition, there is medical evidence that proves the effectiveness of certain kinds of lumbar braces in providing additional support to the tissues of the groin area and may come in handy when dealing with radiating pains in the groin.
Note: You may buy a lumbar brace belt from your local drug stores in NY or do it online. They are very comfortable as they can be adjusted and can be worn under the clothes. Similarly, most of the braces will grant you an accurate fitting as they come with an anti-sleep design and are made with breathable materials.
These are four remedies to rely on any time you experience sciatica pains in NY. Even though they’ve been overlooked, they can be everything you’ll need to prevent long-term injuries and minimize costly procedures. However, you must pay a lot of attention to your sitting posture, avoid sedentary lifestyles and remain active.
Reach Out To The New York Spine Specialist For Sciatica Pain and Better Health
If you are dealing with sciatic nerve pain in New York and seek to consult with a relevant care specialist today, reach out to the New York Spine Specialist. The New York Spine Specialist has years of experience and knowledge working with various patients on issues that range from pressure on the sciatic nerve to general pain relief for a herniated disk or other related matters.
From alternative therapies that usually tend to eschew surgical options, our specialists are here to understand your situation and offer health information in addition to medical advice and assistance to relieve pressure in lower back pain.
Set an appointment today to obtain relief, obtain health information, and learn more about exercises and other factors that can help you.
