Regardless of the cause, 90% of sciatica pain gets better without surgery[1]. In fact, home treatment might be all you need, especially if your sciatica stems from pregnancy or injury.
If the pain is unmanageable, our professional chiropractors at Peak Spine + Wellness can help you alleviate the symptoms and treat the underlying cause. Unlike typical treatment, we’ll help your body heal itself — without drugs or surgery. Schedule an appointment with one of our practitioners today in Fargo, ND, for solutions to unbearable sciatica pain.
If your pain isn’t severe, you can leverage several at-home sciatica remedies, but we want to focus on the three most effective ones.
1. Physical Exercise
Most people with sciatica take bed rest or lean their back in an easy chair, hoping to relieve pain. But research says [2] that resting too much can aggravate your back and leg symptoms. Instead of rest, you’re better off executing gentle exercises to ease sciatica.
The exercise should not be painful or strenuous. Some home exercises you can do to alleviate sciatica include:
- Taking a walk
- Knee-to-chest exercise
- Glute bridge
The exercises will help you in several ways, including:
- Strengthening the core muscles that support the spine
- Improving flexibility and range of motion
- Increase blood flow to speed up the healing in the injured area
- Reducing the perception of pain
2. Stretch Out
Tight muscles can compress the Sciatic nerve — the largest nerve in your body — leading to lower back pain and discomfort. When you stretch, you can reduce muscle tension surrounding the sciatic nerve.
Some of the stretches you can do to reduce sciatica pain include:
- Hamstring stretch: Sleep on your back with your leg straight. Lift one leg and hold onto it behind your knee. Pull your leg toward your chest gently until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.
- Child’s pose: Start in a tabletop position with your hands and knees on the floor. Sit back on your heels and stretch your arms in front of you. Maintain the position for 30 seconds.
- Cobra stretch: Lie on your stomach with your hands underneath your shoulder. Push up with your hands, lifting your chest off the ground. Retain the position for 30 seconds.
3. Apply an Ice Pack and Heat on Your Lower Back
Alternating ice and heat therapy is one of the fastest ways to heal sciatica nerve pain. The ice helps reduce inflammation while heat encourages blood flow in the painful area speeding the healing. The ice pack and heat may also ease painful muscle spasm that often accompanies sciatica.
Here is a step-by-step procedure for administering cold and heat therapy:
- Apply the ice pack to the painful region for 15 minutes every hour.
- Apply heat for 15 minutes every 2 or 3 hours.
Use a barrier, like a towel, to protect your skin when applying heat or ice.
Treat Sciatica with Chiropractic Treatment from Peak Spine + Wellness in Fargo, ND
Our chiropractors at Peak Spine + Well can treat Sciatica pain and its underlying issue using the following:
- Chiropractic adjustment to restore spinal alignments
- Medical massages to reduce inflammation and release trigger points
- Stretches to improve your range of motion
Schedule a consultation with us today at Fargo, ND, to get started.
