Sciatica is leg pain that comes from a problem in the lower back. The sciatic nerve begins in your lower back, goes through your buttock, and reaches down your leg to your foot. This nerve can cause trouble for many reasons. Things like slipped discs, nerve narrowing, stiff hips, and pelvic misalignment can lead to sciatica. Symptoms include pain, numbness, tingling, cramping, burning, and weakness in your leg muscles. You can take medicine, do some stretching, and see a physical therapist to feel better.
Physical therapy and exercise are often the first things we use to help with this kind of pain. If you have sciatica, you might experience lower back, hip, and leg pain. You could also have numbness, tingling, and weakness in your buttock, thigh, calf, or foot. Pain can also spread into the leg. This is typically caused by health issues like herniated or degenerative discs, or pressure on the nerve in the lower spine.
People like physical therapists, chiropractors, and athletic trainers offer treatments for this kind of pain. They are trained to use manual therapy, exercise programs, and rehab to help. The goal of therapy and exercise is to strengthen and move parts of the body that can help with the pain. This includes your lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs.
Therapy and exercise are used to target the common problems that come with sciatica. This includes improving movement and relieving pain in the lower back, buttocks, thigh, and leg. The intention is also to reduce muscle spasms, improve the function of the spine and sacroiliac joint, boost mobility, and promote a better healing environment in your lower back.
The following techniques can offer relief from sciatica pain:
– Flexion and Extension Back Exercises: These exercises encourage spine movement. For example, bending backwards (extension) or forwards (flexion).
– McKenzie Method: This method uses active movements to treat pain from the spine, muscles, or joints. The idea is to focus on the pain to make symptoms better. Physical therapists who are trained in the McKenzie Method will usually conduct this therapy.
– Strength Training: Exercises that use body weight and resistance are used to strengthen muscles. For instance, isometric exercises involve contracting a muscle without the joint moving.
– Functional Resistance Training: This reintroduces actions like lifting, carrying, and bending.
– Joint Mobilization: In this method, the therapist applies pressure to a joint to help it move better.
– Dry Needling: A technique where a healthcare professional uses a small needle to target muscles and release tension.
– Muscle Energy: This method involves gentle muscle contractions while a therapist moves the joints in certain ways.
Alongside these therapies, maintaining healthy posture while sitting, standing, and walking can help you manage and prevent sciatica pain. It’s important to incorporate daily habits like using safe lifting techniques and ensuring you sleep in correct positions.
Remember, it’s essential to stick to the treatment, exercise routines, and lifestyle changes to manage sciatica and prevent its reoccurrences.