What are the Signs of Sciatica Improving
Sciatica is a problem that many of our patients at Backbone Wellness suffer with, but how do you know when your sciatic pain is improving?
For many, the pain of sciatica can possibly be the worst pain they’ve ever felt.
And when sciatica is at its worst, it can feel like nothing can ever help…
So, when you’re going through it, the hope of your sciatic pain getting better can be your greatest wish.
What Is Sciatica?
Nerves don’t like to be touched, so when something is pressing on your sciatic nerve – that causes the pain of sciatica.
Sciatic pain from that irritated nerve is most often felt from the glutes, down the back of the leg, and sometimes all the way down to your feet (and sometimes even into your toes!).
What Causes Sciatica?
The most common cause of sciatica is a slipped disc. A disc putting even a little pressure on your sciatic nerve can cause you to feel a tremendous amount of pain.
There are certain factors that raise your risk of developing sciatica. The most common factors for developing sciatica include:
- Aging. As we get older, we simply do not knit ourselves together as well as in our youth. It becomes more and more likely that parts of our body will wear out or break down.
- Working life. Certain jobs, over the course of years, can place a lot of strain on your back, especially those that involve lifting heaving objects, or sitting or standing for extended periods of time.
- Poor posture habits.
How Can I help to Ease My Sciatic Pain?
Here’s the problem, unlike so many other times in our lives – resting just doesn’t seem to do the trick. When you’re suffering with sciatic pain and quit moving, not only does the disc stay slipped, but the muscles of your core and lower back become weaker with disuse, providing less support (studies have found that coma patients who are unable to move at all, quickly lose an alarming amount of muscle).
So, let’s think about sitting less. Now, I know what you’re going to say… ‘sitting doesn’t make it worse’, but we have found that in many cases, patients will sit in a modified or slouched way to avoid their pain.
This uncomfortable-looking posture can contribute to making your pain last longer, and posture distortions can continue even after the original back trouble has gone.
Keep Walking
Doing anything you can to keep yourself moving is our highest recommendation. As soon as you can, and as easy as necessary – anything that gets you moving helps.
Easy and gentle walking can do wonders for people suffering with sciatica because it releases of pain-reducing endorphins and reduces inflammation.
Walking is often overlooked but let me assure you it’s one of the best ways to get moving, and becoming healthier, while only costing you the price of a pair of shoes.
Heat followed by Ice
Using heat followed by ice therapy, can provide relief from sciatica. Heat brings blood flow to the affected area, easing painful muscle spasms. This is followed by ice, which reduces inflammation to the surrounding tissues.
Stretch It Out!
Every day, wake up and even before getting out of bed, do some light stretching. Doing something small to help yourself to stay active is a great way to keep yourself from getting more and more stiff.
Becoming more immobile and losing flexibility in your spine and core increases your likelihood of suffering from things like sciatica and other life-changing pains.
We’ve added a video of Dr. Garda’s top tips to relieve back pain!
Is My Sciatica Improving?
Determining if sciatica is getting better is pretty straightforward.
Though overall pain is a good indication of healing, even more important is the actual location and movement of the pain.
Is your pain ‘retreating or going’ is what to look for.
What that means is, if the pain is in your glute today and down the back of your leg the next, your sciatica has more than likely got worse and it’s not improving.
And, if the pain is ‘leaving’, or moving up from where it was before, then that is a good indicator that the sciatica is improving.
It is also important to note - for most people, sciatic pain usually lasts between 2-6 weeks with acute pain lasting around 1-2 weeks.
Does It Get Worse Before it Gets Better?
Yes, your sciatic pain can get worse before it gets better – but we have seen, hundreds of times over the years, it can get better.
Good daily habits, healthy movement (and of course, chiropractic care) can help. It might be painful at first but if you persist, your body does have the ability to be healed.
Would You Like To See A Chiropractor For Free?
We realize some people want more than just some free health tips… That’s why we offer expert advice – for FREE, in under 30 minutes.
Here are just a few of the things you will learn in one of our free discovery sessions:
- What is the underlying cause of your back pain? (Hopefully nothing too serious!)
- Roughly, how long will it take to fix my problem?
- What to do to help – which doesn’t include painkillers, resting or surgery etc.
- What other, natural, drug-free methods are there to speed up recovery alongside treatment?
Our discovery sessions are great for anyone that may be “unsure” if a chiropractor is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions and see for yourself if we can help you.
If you would like one of our limited discovery sessions –
please give us a call at 513 891-2111, and mention this blog post to see a chiropractor for free.
Or follow this link:
https://go.oncehub.com/FreeDiscoverySessionwithDrGarda
We’re Here To Help…
If you’re in pain and would like to talk to us about getting some help, some specialist advice, or if you are looking for a diagnosis, remember we are always here to help you…. and we’re offering you the chance to have your first session with a chiropractor for FREE (with a discovery visit).
If you would like to get one of our limited discovery visits slots, please click here or CALL us at 513 891-2111.
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