In addition to providing hydration, drinking water has the potential to alleviate sciatica, a common source of lower back and leg pain. Drinking water can slow the progression of symptoms and ease discomfort.
If you suspect you're suffering from dehydration, also keep an eye out for signs of back issues. Likewise, if you suffer from other back problems like sciatica, dehydration can exacerbate the pain. But many people with healthy spines can also experience back pain caused by dehydration.
Drink 2-3 cups of green tea. Add turmeric, ginger, and garlic to your meals. B-Vitamins are very important to take in when suffering from sciatic nerve pain, and can be found in green peas, spinach, navy beans, nuts, bananas, etc.
Go to Physical Therapy
PT usually involves most rapid relief remedies (icing, heating, massage, stretching, strength, and flexibility exercises) to provide pain relief, eliminate the underlying cause of the sciatica nerve pain, and prevent further injury and flare-ups.
Heat can help to increase blood flow around the area of discomfort causing the muscles to loosen, therefore relieving the pressure on the sciatic nerve. A hot bath may provide temporary relief as it relaxes your muscles. Ice helps to temporarily turn off nerve receptors which can help with pain and discomfort.
Sciatica most often occurs when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg.
Alternating heat and ice therapy can provide immediate relief of sciatic nerve pain. Ice can help reduce inflammation, while heat encourages blood flow to the painful area (which speeds healing). Heat and ice may also help ease painful muscle spasms that often accompany sciatica.
Supplying the body with vital vitamins and minerals assists in overall health in general, including improvement from sciatica. Daily doses of supplements such as calcium, magnesium, St. John's Wort, and Vitamin B12 have shown to treat sciatica effectively.
Processed and sugary foods can increase inflammation, worsening sciatic nerve pain. Avoid eating foods high in saturated fat, processed carbohydrates, and added sugars to reduce your risk of sciatica flare-ups.
Even though it probably hurts to some degree, walking is actually good for sciatica. Dr. Shah points out that walking promotes blood flow throughout the body, and can even make the nerves more resilient.
Vitamin B12 helps in synthesizing the fatty (myelin) sheath that covers the nerves, which is important in nerve function and conduction of impulses. Sciatica may occur due to vitamin B12 deficiency and may be more common in elderly people, above 60 years of age.
There are four sciatica exercises your spine specialist may recommend to help you reduce sciatic nerve pain caused by degenerative disc disease: pelvic tilt, knee to chest, lower trunk rotations, and all fours opposite arm and leg extensions.
If you're living with sciatic pain, massage therapy may be a great option. While it's not a cure for this condition, it can ease your discomfort and improve your overall quality of life.
For the majority of patients, acute sciatica pain resolves within 1 – 2 weeks. In some cases, behavioral modification or at-home remedies may be adequate for relieving sciatica pain. However, certain patients may develop chronic sciatica pain which may wax and wane but remains present over many years.
Since the sciatic nerve travels along the same pathway as the hamstrings, the nerve can also become stretched and irritated, increasing your symptoms. Stress — particularly chronic stress — plays such a significant role in so many maladies, it's no real surprise that it can affect your sciatica symptoms as well.
Despite its traditions, bed rest may actually cause more damage than good. Walking keeps muscles engaged while simultaneously protecting the sciatic nerve, which makes it great for long-term rewards without any major downfalls. Tucking in your stomach and focusing on deep breathing can bring even better results.
A diet that is low in potassium is not favourable for sciatic symptoms, so eat dark leafy greens such as spinach, or try apricots and bananas. Vitamin supplements can help if you are very low on one of the vitamins or minerals mentioned above.
Caffeine and alcohol are also not your friends when it comes to managing sciatica. They can both increase inflammation, making pain worse.