Imagine the pain of a sharp razor blade slicing open your lower back, through your buttocks and down the back of your leg. Then again, if you suffer from sciatica, you may not need to imagine it at all.
Sciatica is not an actual condition, but describes a very real set of back and leg pain symptoms. Fortunately you can almost always reduce or completely stop sciatic pain right at home without harmful drugs or surgery.
What causes sciatica pain
The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the human body. It is also the thickest at over 3/4 of an inch across. It supplies nearly the whole skin of the leg, the back thigh muscles, and other muscles down to the feet. This length is why shooting pain down one or both legs is felt when the nerve is irritated.
Sciatica symptoms are caused by one of four conditions: a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, isthmic spondylolisthesis, or most commonly piriformis syndrome where the piriformis muscle places pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Get sciatica relief right at home
In each of the four common conditions causing sciatica, muscle imbalances either directly cause or contribute to the condition behind your pain. For sciatica relief, you can follow a simple three step process in the privacy of your own home.
First, identify the cause. This involves understanding the dysfunctions present in your body and the muscle imbalances which created them. These can be identified through a series of self assessments.
Second, treat the pain symptoms. Clearly you won’t be able to correct the problem if your pain is so severe that you can’t move.
Finally, begin working on the underlying dysfunctions and muscle imbalances which caused the condition leading to sciatica. Relief that lasts requires correcting the problem, not just covering up the symptoms.
Learn more about getting at home sciatica relief including a video which shows a quick stretch you can use to stop sciatica pain from piriformis syndrome in seconds plus complete details behind the causes and treatments for sciatica.
The old saying goes: “Vacations are fun, but the traveling is a pain in the neck!” Actually, traveling can be an even bigger pain in the back.
Stress is one of the leading causes of illness in the United States. In fact, nearly 66% of all signs and symptoms presented in doctors’ offices are stress-induced.
Perhaps you’ve had a hard day, you had to shovel the walk, dig your car out of the snow, mailed a few heavy packages, put on some extra holiday weight, or had to take your in-laws around town. You’re tired, and it feels like your back is about to go out.
Do you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, because of too much pain? Does it take an hour or two for your body to ‘warm up’ and your joints and muscles to loosen before you can tackle the tasks of the day? You are not alone.
