Are You Looking For Relief From Back And Sciatica
Pace Physical Therapy in San Jose, California specializes in back pain and sciatica relief and recovery therapies. We pride ourselves on offering the best possible physical therapy available and going above and beyond for our patients. Our highly experienced physical therapist will work with you to improve your function and relieve your pain. We start by assessing the body as a whole. Oftentimes the cause of pain or an injury extends far beyond just the body part or muscle hurting. Without taking a comprehensive look at your entire self, we would be doing you a disservice in fully helping you heal and preventing future limitations. We then move on to fixing your areas of limitation. Not all diagnoses are created equal. One person with low back pain may have completely different limitations than the next person. Your recovery program needs to be specific to what YOUR body needs and not just the typical exercise program that you can find online to and-aid the real issue. Just because your pain decreases or you can walk longer doesnt mean that it is enough to get you functioning at the level you want to be. While this often signifies the end of care at your typical PT clinic we dont stop providing guidance until we help you successfully meet every goal you set for yourself with us on day one. Contact us today to schedule your appointment!
Massage And Trigger Point Release For Piriformis Syndrome Relief
For this part, you can use the good old-fashioned tennis or squash ball technique to release the tight muscles in your buttock.
The reason direct pressure works to release muscles is not fully known, but we think it might be due to the pressure sending certain messages up to the brain which causes a relaxation effect at the target area. The other theory is that we are starving the area of blood flow and therefore oxygen, so it cannot stay tense and is forced to relax.
The trigger points we are aiming for will sit in these three areas :
The red X marks the rough points where you should be aiming the pressure from the ball
I would find a firm floor with something like a yoga mat laid on top of it. Place the tennis ball on the floor and gently place your body weight over it, rolling it around the target area.
Do this for 1-2 minutes at a time. Be careful not to overdo this as you can bruise yourself!
This may cause an unpleasant sensation as you apply pressure this is normal but the pain should not exceed mild-moderate.
In some cases, with this technique a person can experience piriformis syndrome relief almost instantly.
Signs You Might Need Surgery
Most people with sciatica don’t need surgery. But your doctor may suggest it if you have trouble walking, lose control of your bladder or bowels, or your pain gets worse and other treatments don’t help. The best procedure depends on what’s causing your symptoms. The most common one removes the part of your herniated disk that’s pressing on the sciatic nerve.
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When Does Sciatica Pain Subside After A Period Of Time
Sciatica pain almost always subsides after a period of time, especially if the stage 1 advice above is followed. But if you return immediately to your former lifestyle without making any changes, sciatica is very likely to return. So here you must capitalise on this pain-free window by introducing some gentle exercise into your routine.
Sciatica Home Remedies And Self
Regardless of the cause, about 90% of people with sciatica will get better without surgerymost of them in just a few weeks. You can start treating your sciatica at home. In fact, home treatment may be all you need, especially if you know that your sciatica is caused by an injury or pregnancy.
Even if you don’t know what’s causing your sciatica, you can take steps to relieve your pain at home. Call your doctor if the pain isn’t manageable or under certain other circumstances.
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How Long Does Sciatica In Pregnancy Last
A 2008 review estimates between 50 and 80 percent of women experience lower back pain in pregnancy, but its highly unlikely to actually be sciatica.
Occasionally the position of your baby can add pressure to the sciatic nerve, leading to sciatica. Depending on whether your babys position changes, the pain may last for the remainder of your pregnancy, come and go, or disappear. It should fully resolve after your baby is born.
How Can I Treat Sciatica And Lower Back Pain
According to traditional Chinese medicine, problems like sciatica and lower back pain affect the kidneys and bladder and are attributed to the excessive consumption of meat, spicy foods and alcohol, among others.
There is a psychological theory that suggests that lower back pain is the somatization of unresolved emotional issues, like the loss of a job, divorce, abandonment, poverty, etc.
But beyond determining the cause of the pain in your back and legs, its good to know a few treatments and solutions. The most natural and effective ones are:
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What Are Sciatica Causes
Sciatica is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve. Usually, there is no specific injury that is related to the onset of sciatica. Occasionally, the pain will suddenly begin after lifting something heavy or moving quickly. The following are causes of sciatica:
- A herniated disc : Disc herniation is the most common cause of sciatica. When a disc herniates near the spinal nerve roots that form the sciatic nerve, it can cause pressure on the nerve, or irritation, which results in the symptoms of sciatica.
- Discs are the cushions between the bones in the back. They act like âshock absorbersâ when we move, bend, and lift. They are the size and shape of checkers.
- There is a tough ring around the outside of each disc and a thick jellylike center inside . If the outer edge of the disc ruptures, the center can push through and put pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to the pain of sciatica .
What Are The Recommendations In Clinical Guidelines
Although in many countries clinical guidelines are available for the management of non-specific low back pain this is not the case for sciatica. Box 4 shows the recommendations for sciatica in clinical guidelines recently issued by the Dutch College of General Practice.w4 After excluding specific diseases on the basis of red flags, sciatica is diagnosed on the basis of history taking and physical examination. Initial treatment is conservative, with a strong focus on patient education, advice to stay active, continuing daily activities, and adequate treatment for pain. In this phase imaging has no role. Referral to a medical specialistfor example, neurologist, rheumatologist, spine surgeonis indicated in patients whose symptoms do not improve after conservative treatment for at least 6-8 weeks. In these referred cases surgery may be considered. Immediate referral is indicated in cases with a cauda equina syndrome. Acute severe paresis or progressive paresis are also reasons for referral .
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What You Should Know About Back Pain And Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a safe procedure and therapy when you see a professional certified acupuncturist.
Avoid receiving acupuncture from someone who is not qualified or certified. It helps to do background research on a practitioner. Or, talk to someone you trust who has seen an acupuncturist for back pain. Ask them about practitioners they would recommend or refer.
People who have received acupuncture sometimes report soreness, bruising, and minor bleeding at puncture sites. These issues should clear up and go away in a few days. It also poses little to no risk to overall health.
If youre pregnant, certain types of acupuncture could stimulate labor and delivery. Talk to your acupuncturist about your pregnancy beforehand.
If you take blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder, acupuncture poses some health risks. Make sure to discuss your issues and medications with your acupuncturist before therapy. Bleeding can happen during the therapy, though this is rare.
Needles must be sterile and disposable. But, make sure to keep puncture sites clean after each session to prevent risk of infection. Risk of infection is small if you see a well-trained professional.
Beware Of Sciatic Nerve Pain
Sciatic nerve pain is a common condition that affects 10% of Americans with back pain. The disease is prevalent in persons with chronic lower back pain and athletes. Sciatic nerve pain comes from the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. This nerve starts in the lower back, branches through the buttocks, and down the lower leg. Persons with sciatic nerve pain feel pain and numbness in the back of the thigh, leg, and buttocks.
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How Acupuncture Helps Back Pain
Acupuncture is a traditional therapy based on the idea of energetics in the body.
Treatment consists of inserting needles at various pressure points on the body and through the skin. Needles are not meant to cause pain, harm, or discomfort.
A professional acupuncturist will target energy points for treatment. These are also called meridians, with some being of special benefit to painful nerves and muscles in the back.
There are a few qi meridians that an acupuncturist may focus on for back pain.
Some acupuncture points for lower back pain are:
- back of the knees points
- foot points
Chiropractic Massage And Acupuncture Treatments
Alternative treatments for sciatica can also provide some pain relief. A chiropractor can adjust your spine in a way that increases spinal movement, which improves spine function and decreases pain. Chiropractic treatment can also relieve lower back pain caused by sciatica, but is less effective for radiating pain.
You may have tight muscles as a result of sciatica pain. Massage can help loosen up your muscles, alleviating some pain and improving mobility and flexibility.
Some research suggests that acupuncture can help relieve sciatica. If youre interested in acupuncture, be sure to visit a licensed practitioner.
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Best Sciatica Exercises To Do At Home
Sciatica pain can be painful and debilitating but there are some great sciatica exercises to do at home that you can start using today to relieve your pain. The radiating pain that travels from your back down through your hip and into your leg is the signature pain associated with sciatica which impacts about four in ten people at some point. If youre currently experiencing sciatica pain, these home sciatica exercises can help you to start feeling better today.
In this video, Dr. Blake, Jane, and Ashley will demonstrate and explain exactly how to do the 4 best sciatica exercises to do at home for pain relief. These sciatica exercises wont take much time at all and theyll provide you with instant pain relief.
Main Causes Of Hip Pain
There are so many different potential causes of hip pain, including injuries, arthritis, inflammation, pinched nerves , and even cancer.
When serious, hip pain is often a symptom of something else, like sciatica, arthritis, or bone cancer. Minor hip pain is usually caused by injury, such as:
- Bursitis
- Tendonitis
- Labral tears
You may also just be experiencing discomfort because of how youre sitting every day, often causing low back pain in addition to hip and sciatic nerve pain. If you work in an office, or you work from home, you likely have to sit in an office chair for at least eight hours every day.
This can cause a lot of discomfort to the lower back, hips, and buttocks. While you wont have an injury such as a sprain or a fracture, you can still experience pain.
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What Is The Treatment For Sciatica
Bed rest has been traditionally advocated for the treatment of acute sciatica. But how useful is it?
To study the effectiveness of bed rest in patients with sciatica, a research team in the Netherlands led by Dr. Patrick Vroomen randomly assigned 183 such patients to bed rest or, alternatively, to watchful waiting for this period.
The results, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that after two weeks, 70% patients in the bed-rest group reported improvement, as compared with 65% of the patients in the control group. After 12 weeks, 87% of the patients in both groups reported improvement. The results of assessments of the intensity of pain, the aggravation of symptoms, and functional status revealed no significant differences between the two groups. The extent of absenteeism from work and rates of surgical intervention were similar in the two groups.
The researchers concluded that “among patients with symptoms and signs of sciatica, bed rest is not a more effective therapy than watchful waiting.” Sometimes, conventional wisdom is not as wise as research!
Other treatment options for sciatica depend on its cause and include addressing the underlying cause.
Lower Back Pain: What You Need To Know
A vast majority of people have suffered from lower back pain at one time or another in their lives. Also called lumbar pain, its pain in the torso area, more precisely from where the ribs end to the buttocks.
Its the main cause of disability in people between the ages of 20 and 45 and tends to intensify with age. The spinal column is made up of different bones that are separated by discs of cartilage that cushion movement. The vertebrae are also covered in a thin layer of cartilage and are held in place by muscles and ligaments.
The lumbar area is the lower section of the back and consists of 5 vertebrae that connect the chest to the pelvis and legs. It allows us to rotate, move, crouch and lean, and provides the strength for getting up, walking, running and standing. When youre suffering from lower back pain, any of these movements will cause pain.
Furthermore, there are two types of lower back pain: specific and non-specific. Specific is when the cause of the pain is known, which happens in about 20% of cases. Some of the things that trigger the problem are osteoarthritis , osteoporosis, herniated disc and spinal stenosis.
In non-specific cases, which account for the remaining 80% of cases, the exact cause of pain is unknown. Factors that often trigger lower back pain are heavy lifting, stress, poor posture or psychological factors, among others.
Another classification for lower back pain is based on how long the pain remains: acute , subacute and chronic .
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How Is Sciatica Pain Treated In Atlanta Ga
In a number of cases, sciatica pain can be relieved simply through rest and/or altering certain behaviors. However, severe or prolonged sciatica symptoms often require medical treatment. Dr. Williams offers a wide variety of advanced sciatica treatments in Atlanta and will begin with more conservative methods to help alleviate pain in the most natural ways possible. If a patients sciatica is resistant to conservative treatments and persists or becomes worse, additional intervention may be needed. Common sciatica treatments include:
- Resting the back
- Chiropractic Care
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequency Therapy
- Over-the-counter medications
- Orthobiologic Treatments
For patients with severe sciatica that begins to affect other functions, such as bowel and bladder function, surgery is often necessary.
When properly diagnosed and treated, most men and women are able to achieve dramatic relief from sciatica pain within 14 days. To help prevent future episodes of sciatica, patients are encouraged to practice proper posture and exercise regularly.
Secret #: Home Remedies
Before MRIs and over-the-counter pain relievers, people relied on a variety of home remedies for sciatica pain. While these wont fix the problem causing the pain, they can provide temporary relief. Some of the more successful home remedies include:
- Alternating hot and cold compresses to the lower back
- Massaging a mixture of ginger essential oil to equal part of coconut or olive oil into the lower back.
- Drink two or three cups of valerian or chamomile tea to stop muscle spasms.
- Soaking in a bath with apple cider vinegar and Epsom salts.
- Rub a cream containing at least 0.025% capsaicin on the affected area.
- Try a tincture called Harshiangar, which contains anti-inflammatory and analgesic compounds. This remedy comes to us from Ayurvedic medicine and can be found in many Indian specialty stores.
Herbal, natural anti-inflammatories are also recommended home remedies for sciatica pain. You can find more information on these in secret #7.
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Do You Know What Causes Your Sciatica
Sciatica may have a variety of causes, each of them requiring a slightly different treatment. Whether or not surgery would get rid of your sciatica will depend on why the sciatic nerve is inflamed in the first place. Possible reasons may include:
Although most of these causes can be addressed with surgery, it is rarely the first line of treatment. The type of surgery would depend on the problem.
In addition, sciatica-like pain may result from irritation of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle in the buttock. This condition is called piriformis syndrome and rarely requires surgery.
- By Steven J. Atlas, MD, MPH, Contributor
Despite being a less common cause of low back pain, sciatica is still something I regularly see as a general internist. Primary care doctors can and should manage sciatica, because for most individuals the body can fix the problem. My job is to help manage the pain while the body does its job. When a persons symptoms dont improve, I discuss the role of surgery or an injection to speed things up.