How To Cure Sciatica Permanently At Home?

Sciatic pain is due to nerve compression, inflammation, or discomfort in the lower back. The biggest nerve in the body is the sciatic nerve. It is located in the lower back and spreads over the rump, delivering nerve endings across the leg.

If you are suffering from sciatica pain and want to know how to cure sciatica permanently at home, then you are in the right place.

The article further conveys the causes and symptoms of sciatica pain. It also states how you can relieve sciatic pain at home with home exercises and remedies.

What is Sciatic Pain?-An Overview

Sciatica is pain or discomfort that occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or pinched. Sciatic pain originates in the lower back and radiates down the sciatic nerve path, that is, into the hips, buttocks, and down the leg of the affected side. The pain may be moderate or severe and frequently depends on the wear and tear of the lower back.  The good news is that sciatica is most commonly cured in weeks without requiring any surgery. First, however, you must improve your back and core strength while boosting your hip and body flexibility. This reduces your risks of lower back pain and other symptoms of sciatica considerably.

What Are The Symptoms of Sciatic Pain?

To understand whether you have developed sciatic pain, here are some of the symptoms of the sciatic nerve that you must evaluate: 

• A mild ache to excruciating pain in the lower back.
• Pain that radiates down the back of the leg from the lower back is the most common symptom of sciatica.
• Pain that affects only one side of the lower body.
• You may have trouble moving or cannot move your lower body due to pain.
• You may feel stiffness, numbness, or tingling sensation in your lower body, including the back of your thigh, calf, and back.
• You may have no control over bladder and bowel movements.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, you may be suffering from sciatica pain. But please do not feel overwhelmed, as regardless of the cause, 90% of the people suffering from sciatic pain do not need surgery. Instead, you can get better in just a few weeks with physiotherapy and treatments at home for pain management.

We will shed some light on how to cure sciatica permanently further on this blog which can be helpful to ease the pain of sciatica and help you function better. 

Who Is Prone To Sciatica Pain?

You may be more prone to developing sciatica due to your lifestyle. Today, a higher percentage of individuals who suffer from sciatic pain develop it due to this reason.

Various factors contribute to the symptoms of sciatica pain. Let us have a look at some of the causes of sciatica pain that leads to the symptoms over time:

Injuries: Overexertion at the gym, not warming up before exercises, or lifting heavy weights with a jerk can cause harm to the lower back.  

Weak Core: Generally, pregnant women have higher chances of developing sciatic nerve damage as the baby’s weight puts pressure on the lower back and abdominal muscles. Also, postpartum mothers continue to have sciatica pain due to weakened back muscles.

Lifestyle and Job: Another major contributing factor to sciatica pain is the type of job you have. If you are in a corporate desk job requiring you to sit in one place for long hours, you are likely prone to the symptoms because inactivity can lead to sciatica pain.

Obesity: Higher body weight can increase the pressure on your spine and back, increasing the risk of developing sciatica. 

Diabetes: The risk of sciatica in those with diabetes is high. As excessive amounts of blood sugar might harm your body’s neurological system in diabetes, you might be prone to sciatica pain.

What Are Some Additional Causes of Sciatica Pain?

Now that you have gone through the point of who is more susceptible to sciatica pain, let us bring the causes of the pain to your attention.

• Age factor- as you age, muscles and bones tend to get weaker.
• Spinal Tumor- It is very rare but possible. A spinal tumor can be a cause of sciatica pain.
• Disk Herniation- It is a common cause of sciatica pain. As you age, the disk cushion deteriorates and is more likely to be damaged.
• Degeneration of the spine can cause spinal canal stenosis. It causes the spinal canal to narrow, which puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.
• Bad posture can also lead to sciatica pain.

Possible Causes Of Knee Pain Linked To Sciatica

Knee pain is another possible symptom that might be associated with sciatica since we have already covered the causes and symptoms associated with this pain. Because sciatica radiates from the lower back, it has the potential to inflame the knee muscles, which can cause either weakness or discomfort in the knee. Pain in the knees may occur even in the absence of direct physical damage to the joint. Sciatica-related knee pain is thus a potential cause for the discomfort.

Another potential sign is irritation of the sciatic nerve near the knee, which can be caused by factors such as tight hamstrings. Look out for the following pain/discomfort in the knee:

• Pain while attempting to straighten up the leg
• Shooting pain in the front/back/side of the knee
• Weakness in the knee
• A feeling of knees giving out

Your doctor will be able to determine if your knee pain is due to sciatica or not when they have a correct diagnosis of your knee pain.

How to Cure Sciatica Permanently At Home?

Treatment of sciatica depends on the intensity of pain. However, sciatica remedy is possible to follow from the comfort of your home. Therefore, let us study some of the methods to cure sciatica permanently at home.

1. Hold and Cold packs: You can use a heating pad or ice pack to give you some relief from the discomfort. Ice can lower inflammation while heat helps to cure your painful area, boosting blood flow. Like hot water bags, you can find ice packs in medical stores that are convenient to use. Wrap the ice pack in a small towel to prevent frostbite. Do not allow it to touch your skin directly. Apply it for a maximum of 15 minutes at a time. Repeat several times, and observe how you are feeling.

2. Stretching: Another sciatica remedy is to stretch daily. Make it a lifestyle choice to perform gentle stretches, which will help you recover from the pain. Focus on strengthening your core and back muscles and improving your posture to reduce the pain in your lower back and legs. 

People with sciatica pain will benefit from a stretching routine that targets their hamstrings, and hip muscles. Unfortunately, many people with sciatica pain prefer bed rest thinking it will ease the pain, but it does not! Light stretches are essential to improve the mobility and flexibility of the muscle. In addition, you can do a few static stretches to reduce the pain and improve blood circulation in your lower body.

• Reclining pigeon pose,
• Standing hamstring stretch, 
• Knee to opposite shoulder stretch. 

These stretches will provide relief from sciatica pain in the long run if you are consistent with the stretching routine.  Extend your stretch till you get a gentle tension in your muscles. Hold the stretch initially for 10 seconds. With practice, slowly build up your stamina and hold the stretches for 30 seconds. Do not bounce as you stretch; you must breathe normally. We recommend you consult a doctor first, who will guide you through the technique of the correct exercise in their observation.

3. Medication: The initial line of treatment for sciatica is generally physical therapy. Your physician may advise you to take medicines if your symptoms do not improve. The most often recruited medications for Sciatica pain are Over-the-counter medications readily available at a pharmacy shop.

Your doctor might suggest muscle relaxants, painkillers, or anti-inflammatory medicines for immediate relief from sciatica pain. 

Anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants can reduce inflammation and loosen muscles, respectively. It can help to cure sciatica pain at home.

Complementary Therapies

Along with at-home treatments, people with sciatica pain can try these complementary therapies for some respite from pain. 

Chiropractic: A professional can correct the posture of your spine with some exercises. It is an alternative therapy to work on your body without any operation or surgery.

Acupuncture and massages: To get rid of the pain, a pressure point massage is given on the sciatica nerve to ease the pain. Acupuncture is widely popular for pain management as it relaxes the muscles and improves blood circulation. It is an excellent method to get instant relief from sciatica pain without any side effects of prescribed pain medications.

Physiotherapy and Yoga: These two are the best approaches to cure sciatica pain permanently at home. Consistency is the key to yoga; yoga is believed to heal everything. In addition, it will contribute to strengthening your core. A physical therapist will recommend walking, swimming, hot and cold treatments, and light stretching to relieve the sciatica pain. 

When Sciatica Pain is a Medical Emergency?

It is necessary to contact a physician to evaluate the pain further if you are overly dependent upon the OTC medicine for more than a week without any relief.

Specific symptoms of sciatica require medical care. In rare situations, a medical delay might cause or contribute to irreversible damage to the nerves. Unfortunately, few people with sciatica pain do not respond to conservative sciatica remedy treatments at home; the only option is surgery. There are two types of surgery.

Diskectomy- This is a minimally invasive surgery. In this type of surgery, a tiny portion of the disc is cut, pressing the sciatica nerve to make more room for the nerve. 

Laminectomy- The lamina causes the sciatic nerve to be pressured. For this reason, this operation is carried out by removing the lamina, the root of the spinal canal.

Conclusion

We hope this article was insightful. Sciatica pain can be annoying and unpleasant. It is essential to be active and experiment with home therapy alternatives to cope with pain. It is advisable to consult a doctor if the discomfort does not go away. If you are still wondering ‘how to cure sciatica at home permanently,’ we would say it is possible. You will instantly begin to observe the indication of improvement after 4 to 6 weeks under typical conditions. But to get rid of sciatica forever, you need the correct medicine and exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to cure sciatica?

We all wish, but you know what, it does not work that way. There is no shortcut. But alternating between heat and cold therapy will alleviate pain reduction, whereas exercising and stretching will improve your posture. The only method to heal the symptoms of sciatica most quickly is through home therapy.

How can I permanently fix sciatica?

Permanently fixing sciatica will require a consistent effort to strengthen your back and core and improve flexibility. Speak to your physiotherapist to suggest a plan for you.