How to treat sciatica pain

The sciatic nerve can be said to be the thickest nerve in our human body. There are many symptoms of sciatic pain, such as the pain in the waist bending, pain when the toes touch the ground, etc. that we often see. Once the sciatic nerve becomes diseased, our work and life will be greatly affected. So how can we effectively treat these conditions of the sciatic nerve?

The sciatic nerve begins at the spinal cord in the lumbar region, passes through the pelvis, and exits through the greater sciatic foramen to the buttocks, then runs down the back of the thigh to the foot. Controls sensation and movement of the lower limbs and is composed of the lumbar nerves and sacral nerves. It is the thickest of all nerves. The sciatic nerve exits the pelvis through the inferior piriformis foramen to the buttocks, descends deep to the gluteus maximus, crosses the obturator internus muscle, the upper and lower twin muscles, and the posterior part of the quadratus femoris, innervating these muscles, and descends along the posterior side of the adductor magnus, between the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris, sending muscle branches to the flexor muscles of the thigh along the way. After reaching the popliteal fossa, the sciatic nerve is divided into the tibial nerve and the common peroneal nerve, innervating all the muscles of the calf and foot, as well as the skin sensation of the calf and foot except the area innervated by the saphenous nerve.

Unbearable pain when bending the waist, bending the knees, and standing on tiptoes are all symptoms caused by sciatica. So how should sciatica be treated?

Symptoms of sciatica: The patient cannot straighten his waist, he has to bend his knees and hips, and when he walks, his toes touch the ground and he dares not put his feet completely firmly on the ground.

Causes of Sciatica:

Lumbar: lumbar disc herniation, lumbar osteoarthritis, lumbar spinal stenosis, sacroiliac joint injury, sacroiliitis

Non-lumbar: Tissue surrounding the sciatic nerve, compressing the sciatic nerve

The lumbar reaction of patients with sciatica: if the cause is lumbar, there will be lumbar pain; if the cause is not lumbar, the lumbar pain will be milder.

Sciatica treatments:

Treatment for the cause: if the cause is lumbar, such as lumbar disc herniation, the treatment method for lumbar disc herniation should be followed.

If the cause is compression of surrounding tissues, we need to figure out the cause of the surrounding tissues, relax the muscles or relieve the inflammation, and the sciatica pain will be significantly relieved.

Drug treatment for sciatica: Western medicines such as anti-inflammatory drugs and hormone drugs; Chinese medicines that warm the meridians and dispel cold have a fast effect and few side effects, such as Yaotongning Capsules.

There are advantages to taking Chinese medicine with rice wine: especially for patients with cold and dampness blocking the meridians, taking some Chinese medicine with warm rice wine can better exert the therapeutic effect of the medicine and warm the meridians and dredge the collaterals.

Notes on bed rest: Bed rest is very effective in relieving pain. A typical posture is the knee-elbow position: lie on the bed with your knees bent, then your elbows bent, and lie on the bed with your back arched. This will expand the sciatic nerve foramen to the largest extent, so that the pressure is minimal. Therefore, this posture can effectively relieve sciatica pain.

Self-recovery method for sciatica: After the acute phase of sciatica is relieved, you can do some light physical exercise appropriately. Doing lumbar spine exercises can restore waist and leg muscle strength and achieve a better preventive effect.