1 of 14

Write now Article Tools

Sciatica treatment is diverse although should take into account that apart from the obvious relief of pain, should include diagnosis of why the patient suffered sciatica in the first place, since this may pinpoint areas of weakness that contribute to the trapping of the sciatic nerve in the first place, which is a sign that something is wrong and should also be addressed.

Self help.

There are areas in which a patient can help themselves. Sciatica is the trapping of a nerve that gives the patient pain down the back of the leg. The usual cause of this is inflammation, and as a first aid measure, the patient can use anti-inflammatory creams to lessen the effect of swelling. This is sometimes enough to relieve the episode entirely, though should be mentioned to your general practitioner in order to diagnose the cause.

Exercise should be careful, and here, untrapping the sciatic nerve is sometimes possible by holding onto a solidly based support such as balustrades and keeping the unaffected foot on the floor, making a kicking motion with the other foot in a sharp manner. This often untraps the nerve, although again, should be only performed if the doctor thinks that you are fit enough to try it.

Mild painkillers will help though not cure the problem. All that painkillers will do is mask the effects, and will be ineffective as a remedy.

Medications prescribed by the doctor.

In the case of sciatica, medications usually take the form of anti-inflammatory medications, and here it is essential to inform your doctor if you have gastric problems with certain medicines, since the side effects can cause stomach ache and cramps. The medications are merely to get you over a crisis and do not explain why the problem occurred in the first place or give a cure long term.

X Ray and investigation

X Rays and investigative examinations will give a clearer picture of why the nerve was trapped. Here, traditional X Rays may be sufficient, although in chronic cases, Nuclear X Rays are more efficient, are not invasive and give a clearer picture of the overall problem so that correct treatment can be offered.

Osteopathy

In many cases such as sports related injury, posture problems, and damage to backs such as disc problems, an osteopath can manipulate the bones back into place to take away the pinching of the sciatic nerve. This should never be performed on patients suffering from osteoporosis.

Massage and Chiropractics

This is one of the most effective and least invasive treatments of trapping of

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Sciatica treatment?
We want to hear your view. Write now!