ANSWERS: 1
  • Sciatica is a painful problem that is experienced by many people. The nerve root connecting to the sciatic nerve becomes irritated or compressed and causes a lot of pain and difficulty of movement of the leg or hip. The most common cause of sciatic nerve damage is lower back problems, such as occurs with a herniated disk, lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and even from tumors or infections.

    Healing

    Sciatic nerve damage will usually heal on its own within a few weeks, says Dr. Stephen Hochschuler of Spine Health. While healing, you may want to take pain relievers and take it easy.

    Heat and Ice

    Heat and ice are both used to treat the pain that can run down the hip and leg with sciatic nerve damage. According to Hochschuler, using heat or ice, whichever one you prefer, for about 20 minutes at a time every two hours should offer relief from the pain.

    Pain Medication

    Pain from sciatic nerve damage may be helped with over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen and other OTC anti-inflammatory medications. Occasionally the doctor may prescribe a steroid, such as prednisone, to help with the inflammation.

    Epidural

    Sometimes there is enough damage and pain to warrant using steroids administered via epidural injection.

    Physical Therapy

    When recuperation has begun, it's a good idea to begin physical therapy exercises to help control the pain and inflammation. Your doctor or physical therapist may recommend particular exercises to do, but generally slight stretching, low impact exercise such as walking and swimming and strength training are all helpful in building up strength in the area that is the cause of the problem.

    Alternative Treatments

    There are many alternative treatments to regular medical intervention. Acupuncture, massage and manual manipulation such as having a chiropractor adjust your spine, are all helpful to some people who have sciatic nerve damage.

    Source:

    Spine Health: Sciatica Treatment

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