One of the largest nerves in our body is the sciatica. It is placed at the lower spine and through the butt and down to the foot limb. This is the main nerve that enables movement, strength, and feeling in the legs.
The statistics show that 40% of the population around the world will experience the pain caused by sciatica in their lifetime. This is a condition that can be quite painful causing tingling, weakness, and numbness in the lower limbs. People more often mistake it for lower back pain or leg cramps. The pain begins as a pinch or pressure on the nerve and goes down to the back of the legs as a strong pain.
The burning, sharp, and very painful sensation as well as numbness and mild aches are the common symptoms affecting only one side of the body. In most cases, people are not able to get out of bed and take pills like ibuprofen or similar medication that will relieve the pain.
Here, you will read about eight natural ways to treat the inflammation of sciatica and relieve the painful sensation.
1. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an alternative treatment in which tiny needles are inserted in some points of the body. It can boost your energy and will provide you with proper nerve function. The feeling is great since in the first session the relief is there and many people acquire more sessions for better results.
Nowadays, acupuncture is very popular and many people want to try it, even the ones with no pain at all. It can treat many health conditions including stress management, relieving migraines, quitting smoking, and stimulating lymph flow.
2. Chiropractic Adjustments
Numerous studies show that treating sciatica with chiropractic adjustments can be quite effective for some people since they experience various levels of relief. With the manipulation of the spine, many issues can be recovered like mobility, function, decreasing pain, reducing inflammation, as well as promoting healing naturally.
3. Ice Packs
A frozen package of peas or other ice packs wrapped in a towel can do amazing things to sciatica. Just apply the packs to the affected area and wait for 20 minutes. Repeat every two hours, until you feel better and the pain disappears.
4. Alternate Temperatures
The pain relief from the ice packs is permanent and cannot reach deeper into the core of the inflammation where the nerve is located. Immediately after the ice pack, apply a hot one or you can take a hot bath instead. With this alternation of temperature, you can boost lymph flow and blood circulation. In this way, the deeper inflammation will be reduced and it will help in the healing process. In addition, you can add antiinflammatory herbs, essential oils, or some Epsom salt to the bath for an excellent result.
5. Mild (Yoga) Stretches
The last thing you will do when experiencing sciatica pain is move around the house. Remember that it is of great importance to stay active since the pain can be there longer than you have expected. Some people claim that gentle stretches of your back, like some yoga moves, will help in the process of healing. In this way, you will stimulate the blood flow, improve mobility, and gain strength in your back muscles.
6. Massage
You can treat numbness, pain, and spasms of the legs and toes with a deep massage and trigger-point therapies. Another effective method is infusing herb oils since it gives great results. Make sure you inform yourself more about the essential oils and their effectiveness so that you know which one will help you with the pain.
7. Herbs and Oils
We are so lucky that nature provides us with a wide range of herbs with many beneficial effects. Some of them can help in reducing inflammation and relieve pain. You can find them in salves, capsules, infused oils, or liniments. First, you need to consult a professional herbalist or doctor, because some of the medications cannot be taken together with several herbs.
Read the list below, to find out which herbs will help you in treating nerve inflammation and pain:
- Jamaican dogwood;
- Devil’s Claw;
- Arnica;
- Curcumin or turmeric;
- Kratom;
- Skullcap;
- White willow bark;
- Mullein root;
- Clary sage;
- St. John’s wort;
- Linden flower;
- Roman chamomile;
- Lavender;
- Licorice;
- Milky oat tops.
8. Sleep
You need to get enough sleep since nerves and the body will take the time necessary to heal, balance, and relax. Rest and quality sleep will help them to strengthen and rebuild their nerves.
These alternative and complementary cures are not really approved by scientists, but many people have improvements and are already able to manage the spasms, pain, cramps, and numbness. You should consult your doctor if the pain is there for more than several weeks because maybe the possibility of having dislocated vertebrae or other conditions is high. The last option is surgery.