Sciatica can be debilitating, hindering your comfort, routine, sleep, and mental health. While getting safe sciatica relief is a priority, determining why you’re experiencing the condition is essential to effective and lasting pain management.
This post offers safe, effective ways to relieve sciatica and details how your local chiropractor can provide optimal support through a detailed chiropractic care strategy.
Tips to End Sciatica Pain
Because the sciatic nerve comprises the lower half of the body, there are numerous areas where an injury can occur, causing discomfort.
The following tips can help you discourage pain associated with sciatica:
Ice and Heat Therapy
Applying ice to the affected area for 10-15 minutes, two to three times a day, after suffering a sciatica flare-up, can offer excellent benefits.
Benefits of icing your sciatica injury include:
- Numbing sensation that reduces pain and minimizes pain signals from the nerves
- Decreased inflammation
- Swelling prevention
- Reduced muscle spasms
Once the inflammation has been controlled, apply heat to the injury for 15-20 minute sessions. When adding heat, stagger it between icing sessions to maximize comfort and enhance healing.
Benefits of heat therapy for sciatica include:
- Increases blood flow, oxygen, and nutrients to the injury
- Relaxes the muscles and decreases muscle tension and spasms
- Reduces muscle tightness
- Increases range of motion in the lower back and affected area
Stretches & Exercises
Regular exercise and adhering to a stretching program are important to movement patterns and strength, helping to prevent conditions like sciatica proactively.
However, if you suffer from sciatica, effective exercises and stretches can reduce your discomfort and nurture proper function and recovery.
Sciatica stretches and exercises include:
Seated Forward Bend
- While seated, sit up straight with your legs stretched out in front and toes flexed back toward your body
- Inhale while bringing your arms up over your head
- Exhale while reaching your fingers towards your toes (as your chest moves towards your thighs)
- Hold for five breaths and release; repeat three to five times
Reclined Pigeon Pose
- Lie down on your back with one leg stretched out and the other bent with one foot flat on the floor and the knee pointed up
- Bring the other leg up and set that ankle over the bent knee (one knee is pointed up, and the other is pointing toward the wall)
- Grab the shin of the leg that has the foot flat on the floor and pull that leg toward your chest while keeping your hips square
- Hold this pose for five breaths and release; repeat three to five times on each side
Supine Twist
- Lie down on your back, bringing your knees up to your chest
- Spread both arms out wide to each side for balance
- Turn your head to one side and lower both legs to the opposite side
- Hold this pose for five breaths, return to the starting point, and repeat on the other side; repeat three to five times on each side
Cat-Cow Stretches
- Get on all fours while keeping the spine straight and neutral
- While keeping your elbows locked, inhale and arch your back, moving your stomach toward the floor and lifting your chin toward the ceiling
- Exhale and move through your neutral spine until your back is bowed with the upper back reaching for the ceiling and chin pulled in towards the chest (your elbows should still be locked, your arms should not move)
- Come back to the neutral position; repeat 10 to 15 times
Always listen to your body. While these movements can be challenging and uncomfortable, they should not cause worsening pain. If you don’t know the difference, consulting with a chiropractor will ensure you’re not creating further trauma.
Chiropractic Care for Sciatica
While the above solutions can help relieve your pain safely and quickly, they may not produce the lasting results you need. Chiropractic care is a proven treatment method that can help you find comfort by treating the source of your condition with noninvasive techniques and unique guidance.
Lasting Sciatica Relief with Chiropractic Care from Whitefish Chiropractic
Whether your sciatica is caused by a chronic condition, an old sports injury, or habitual poor movement patterns, our chiropractic solutions can help us get you better and stronger.
We know you want real pain relief; let us provide the best healing plan so you can confidently return to your active lifestyle. When you work with our team, you get an extensive assessment that tells about your individual needs.
Chiropractic techniques we use to treat sciatica include:
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Graston Technique
- Kinesio taping
- Dry needling
- And others
You don’t have to live with sciatica pain. We’ll help you heal naturally and give you the tools to stay that way. Schedule your appointment.
