Do you have a sharp pain that frequently radiates through your buttocks, down the outside of your leg, right into your foot? If so, you might ask me as so many others have: Is sciatica causing my leg pain?
That’s an easy one. No.
How can you say that without ever meeting me you ask? Let me explain.
The term sciatica can describe the symptoms you are feeling. But it doesn’t describe what causes those symptoms.
Mere semantics? Not really. Because ending your sciatic pain doesn’t require finding out what your pain feels like (the symptoms, called sciatica). It requires finding out what is causing it (the underlying condition).
So, what causes sciatica?
Glad you asked. But let’s first clear up what sciatica actually is with a more formal definition to make sure we’re on the same page.
Sciatica is the symptom of radiating pain felt in the lower back, buttocks, hamstring, back of the knee, outside of the calf, and / or the foot. It may also be associated with muscular weakness, numbness, or even an electrical tingly feeling. Yep, tingly is a technical term.
The underlying cause of sciatica is generally the compression or irritation of either the actual sciatic nerve or one of the major lumbar nerves (L4 or L5) or sacral nerves (S1, S2, or S3).
Sometimes women experience sciatica during pregnancy as the enlarged uterus presses against the sciatic nerve and postural dysfunctions associated with carrying the extra weight pulls their spine out of proper alignment.
When it comes to sciatica, the right question isn’t “Is sciatica causing my leg pain?” Instead ask, “Is my leg pain sciatica?” This short video will help you visualize what may be causing your sciatica so you can quickly treat it properly and end your sciatic pain.
One of the questions we get most here at the Healthy Back Institute is: “what’s the best mattress for back pain?”.
A good mattress can make all the difference in the world for getting a good night’s sleep. When sciatica or back pain makes sleeping difficult, picking the right mattress takes on even greater importance.
Conventional wisdom says if you have back pain you should sleep on a firm mattress. This happens to be one convention that isn’t always so wise. In a study of over 300 adults with chronic lower back pain, those who slept on medium-firm mattresses consistently reported less pain both at night and upon arising as well as improvement in back pain related disability than those who slept on firm mattresses.
Before you rush out and purchase a medium-firm mattress, first consider the source of your back pain and your own sleeping preferences.
Mattresses for sciatica
Those with sciatica often find any amount of flexion will aggravate their condition. Selecting a firmer mattress is often helpful.
Mattresses for spinal stenosis
Those with spinal stenosis often find the opposite is true, with a flexed position providing back pain relief. A somewhat softer mattress will often make sleep more comfortable in this case.
Mattresses for lower back pain
While the study referenced earlier found a medium-firm mattress provided the best results for those with lower back pain, some individuals may find either a firmer or a softer mattress provides a better sleeping experience.
Try it before you buy it
One of the most effective ways many have found to select the right mattress is to try them out at different places first. If you achieve a noticeably more restful sleep when staying at particular hotel or sleeping over at a friend’s house and then wake up with less back pain, you have a good clue. At the very least, lie down on the bed at the store before you buy it – that’s why they have those plastic covers on the end. Many higher quality brands also offer a try at home guarantee. Since you’ll likely sleep on the mattress for the next 5 to 10 years, it’s worth making the best investment you can afford.
If you’ve been diagnosed with sciatica you might be surprised to learn it’s not really a physical condition at all. Instead, sciatica is a description of a set of pain symptoms typically caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve.
The actual condition causing sciatic pain can be as diverse as a herniated disc pressing upon the sciatic nerve, or it being irritated as it passes down behind the piriformis muscle, which is often overly tight.
Traditional medicine often offers only symptomatic relief for sciatica pain. Options include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen, ultrasound, heat treatments and cortisone injections.
Natural treatments for sciatica tend to focus on both pain relief and correcting the underlying causes. Two of the most effective natural treatments for sciatica you should consider are inversion therapy and muscle balance therapy.
Inversion therapy has been used for thousands of years to treat back pain naturally by using gravity itself to apply gentle traction to the spine. This natural treatment is particularly effective for sciatic pain caused by herniated discs by increasing the space between the vertebrae and thereby relieving the pressure on the nerve.
Muscle balance therapy gets to the root cause of most back and sciatic pain: muscle imbalances. When opposing muscles pull unevenly against one another, postural dysfunctions develop leading to uneven and excessive stress on the muscles, ligaments, bones and joints. Since muscle balance therapy focuses on correcting or improving muscle imbalances, this is a great tool for naturally treating sciatica caused by a tight piriformis muscle.
Remember that simply ending pain does not mean you have corrected the problem. Be sure that whatever treatment you choose addresses the underlying causes of your sciatica pain or it will continue to return. For more information on natural treatments for sciatica pain you can request a free sciatica pain relief guide here.
Inversion therapy has been used for thousands of years to treat various forms of back pain and sciatica. Here’s what we think about this popular inversion table…
If you’ve purchased or used a Teeter inversion table, please post your comments.
Find out in this informative video… plus you’ll also learn why most traditional sciatica treatments fail to deliver lasting pain relief, how to identify what’s causing your sciatica and which treatments are likely to work the best for you.
Be sure to watch our additional sciatica videos and articles about sciatic pain.
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Do you have a sharp pain that frequently radiates through your buttocks, down the outside of your leg, right into your foot? If so, you might ask me as so many others have: Is sciatica causing my leg pain?
One of the questions we get most here at the Healthy Back Institute is: “what’s the best mattress for back pain?”.
If you’ve been diagnosed with 
