ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Home Remedies and Exercises for Sciatica

Updated on July 24, 2017

The pain associated with sciatica is excruciating, however, most cases resolve with conservative therapies, home remedies and exercises; thereby dispensing with the need for surgical intervention.

Sciatica or referred back pain is a painful and distressing condition. The condition can
be managed using home remedies and simple stretches and exercises.

As per the University of Texas, sciatica or referred lower back pain has a 40% lifetime incidence, which means that an American is 40% likely of being affected by the condition in his lifetime. In general the prevalence of the condition ranges between 1-10% with individuals between the ages of 25-40 years more prone to developing it.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a disorder which is characterized by extreme pain and discomfort, due to the impingement of the Sciatic nerve. The most common etiological cause for the development of sciatica is pressure from disc herniation. The Piriformis Syndrome is another important cause. The Piriformis muscle, when imbalanced, puts excessive pressure on the Sciatic nerve, thereby resulting in a displacement of the pelvic joints, and compressing the Sciatic nerve. Narrowing of the space in the spinal canal also causes continuous pressure on the Sciatic nerve.

Sciatica is commonly manifested as: heaviness and pain in the lower back, radiating down to the back of the thighs, back of the knee, calves, right up to the heel. Tingling numbness are associated features of the condition.

Home Remedies to Ease Back Pain

There are certain home remedies and supplements that are beneficial in the management of referred back pain. These include,

  • Ginger: Ginger is an excellent home remedy for the management of sciatica. Ginger can effectively and promptly allay pain and uneasiness in the back. Ginger tea is recommended by most experts, at least twice a day. Ginger soothes inflamed and irritated nerves and gets rid of lower back stiffness and pain.
  • Garlic: Garlic eases pains efficiently as well; furthermore, it enhances blood circulation, is a potent anti-oxidant and gives you immense strength and energy.
  • Vitamin B supplements: vitamin B is essential for most nerve related disorders. Good natural sources of vitamin B are: whole grains, spinach, legumes, green peas, nuts, kiwis, nuts, bananas, soybeans, and unpolished rice. Make sure that you consume a generous dose of these foods. What’s more, most doctors will advise starting a vitamin B supplement. Vitamin B complex manages tingling numbness and allays the intensity of pain.
  • Soy: soy bean is good for sciatica. It is loaded with proteins and vitamin B complex. Soak about 3 spoons of soybeans for 12 hours. Grind in to a fine paste, add water and boil for about 15 minutes. This is soy milk. Consume 1 cup daily.
  • Aromatherapy: aromatherapy massage has been proved to be of immense value in the successful management of sciatica. Essential oils like Nutmeg and Clove are very useful. Blend 10 drops of each oil in 10 ml of carrier oil, like coconut / sesame. Gently massaged the lower back, back of the legs and ankles. Daily aromatherapy massage will yield brilliant results.

Soy and Ginger are Potent Natural Remedies to Allay Sciatic Pain

Physiotherapy to Alleviate Backache

Physiotherapy and exercises help manage sciatica effectively. Exercises stretch the muscles and strengthen, they help relieve pain and stiffness, and significantly enhance the range of movement. However, regular practice is the key.

The following exercise techniques are recommended:

Exercise 1: Powerful Back Bends

  • Lie down on your abdomen.
  • Place your palms at the chest level and very slowly raise your head and chest upwards. The lower part of the body rests on the floor.
  • Arch your spine backwards.
  • Hold for 20 seconds.
  • Do 3 repetitions.

This is a powerful backbend and works wonderfully on your lower back.

Exercise 2: Back Stretches

  • Lie on your back.
  • Gradually, draw up the knees towards the chest.
  • Hold for 20 seconds and then return to the original position.
  • Perform 5 repetitions.

This exercise gently, yet effectively works on the lower portion of the spine. It strengthens the muscles supporting the lower back, reduces stiffness and alleviates pain.

Physical Therapy and Massage to Eliminate Sciatic Nerve Pain

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)