Sciatica Pain Relief Image via Wikipedia
The words “sciatic pain relief” holds many meanings to different people, given that pain symptoms of sciatica may occur along specific body parts which the sciatic nerve innervates. For most people, sciatic pain relief means the alleviation of back pain. For others, it is leg pain that must be treated. Then, in pregnant women, they could be plagued with back pain, leg pain, or even both. However, regardless of the site of pain, sciatic pain management involves correctly diagnosing the cause of the pain and taking general conservative measures to relieve them.
Sciatic Pain Relief
Relief of Sciatic Back and Leg Pain: Are There Differences?
Truth be told, the treatment plans for both sciatic back pain relief and sciatic leg pain relief are practically the same.
At the onset of pain – also known as the acute phase, doctors recommend the application of ice compresses to the painful site for the first 24 hours to relieve inflammation and swelling. For the next 48 hours, warm compresses will promote blood circulation to the affected site and relax tight muscles. It should be mentioned that bed rest to relieve sciatic pain will only work during the first 24 hours. Prolonged immobility will only cause muscle stiffness and spasms, which would aggravate sciatic pain.
Patients may be prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen. Muscle spasms may require the use of muscle relaxants for 3 to 4 days. In cases wherein the pain is severe, oral corticosteroids like Medrol are given in a tapering dose for a period of 5 days. Some patients may even require direct injections of steroids into the affected site or as epidural blocks.
Other non-surgical remedies that have been found to be effective in treating sciatic pain include massage, acupuncture, chiropractic or spinal manipulation, spinal balancing or diathermy. Many patients have benefited from traction with the use of inversion tables and back decompression therapy.
Surgery is rarely indicated for sciatic pain relief, except in cases of spinal stenosis, herniated discs that require surgical intervention, progressive muscle weakness, and neurological dysfunction (such as loss of bowel and bladder function in cauda equina syndrome).
Sciatic Pain Relief During Pregnancy
Sciatic pain during pregnancy is caused by compression on the sciatic nerve resulting from changes in the pelvis to accommodate the baby growing in the mother’s womb. Relief should be achieved after birth.
However, for pain during pregnancy, women are cautioned against taking pain relievers which might affect the growth and development of the fetus. No medications or complementary therapies should be tried without consulting first with a doctor.
Pregnant women could find some measure of pain relief through warm compresses and gentle massage.
Importance of Exercise that offer Sciatic Pain Relief
If there is any sciatic pain relief measure that everyone, including pregnant women, could do, it is exercise. Exercise helps to relieve sciatic pain by keeping the muscles of the back and leg flexible. It helps to prevent stiffening of muscles and ligaments and the occurrence of painful spasms. Also, the increased activity promotes the delivery of essential nutrients and fluids to the muscles. The best exercises for sciatic pain are stretching and back strengthening exercises.
For those who are suffering from back and leg pain, they should not lose hope. With the guidance of their doctor, they could go through the various options for sciatic pain relief until they find the treatment that’s just right for them.
