Surprising Way to Help Sciatica Pain in Vacaville

Sciatica in Vacaville is a condition where the pain radiates along the sciatic nerve path, which starts from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. It can be found on the outside, back, or front of either leg. This condition affects only one side but there are rare occasions where it can affect both.

Back pain can also be present in this condition but not all the time. Numbness and weakness can also happen on several different areas of the affected leg or foot.

Conditions that can lead to sciatica in Vacaville

An estimate of 90% of the cases has shown that sciatica is caused by a spinal disc herniation that is pressing on the lumbar or sacral nerve roots. These are the other conditions that can lead to sciatica:

• A bone spur
• Pelvic tumors
• Spondylolisthesis
• Piriformis syndrome
• Spinal stenosis
• Compression by a baby's head during pregnancy

These conditions can lead to inflammation and pain with some form of numbness in the affected leg. While sciatica pain can be severe sometimes, it can go away on its own without the need of a surgery.

Sciatica symptoms

• Pain radiating from the lower spine to the lower buttocks and down the back of the leg.
• Pain worsens when you cough or sneeze.
• Discomfort along the sciatic nerve pathway.
• Sometimes that pain can be felt like a jolt or electric shock.
• It mostly affects one side of the body.
• Sitting for a long time can worsen the symptoms.
• Pain may be achy and mild or burning and sharp or even excruciating.
• Numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness is often felt.

Diagnosing sciatica

One way of determining if a person is suffering from sciatica is to perform a straight-leg-raising test. To do this, you have to lie on your back and raise the affected leg. If there is shooting pain below the knee, then it is likely that you have sciatica. Your chiropractor may also check your muscle reflexes and strength. You will be asked to walk on your heels or toes or rise from a squatting position. There is no medical imaging needed unless bladder or bowel function is affected or if there is loss of feeling or weakness.

Home remedies

Sciatica can be managed at the comfort of your home. Resting can be good but it won't help if you do it for too much. Here are some things that you can do to reduce the pain:

• Stretching: Doing simple stretches for your lower back can make you feel better and may even loosen some of the compression on the nerve roots. Avoid bouncing, jerking, or twisting while stretching and hold it for 30 seconds If possible.
• Cold packs: When the pain starts, putting a cold pack on the painful area may provide you with relief. Apply it for 20 minutes a few times a day and make sure to use some towel to avoid hurting your skin.
• Hot packs: After a few days since the pain has settled, you can start putting heat packs on the painful areas. If the pain continues, it would be nice to alternate heat and cold packs.

Natural relief for sciatica

It may be hard to believe but sciatica pain may start in the upper neck. If the neck bones are misaligned, even by a little bit, they may twist and shift the spine to compensate for the weight of the head from being off-balance. This can cause complications throughout the spine and it could irritate or pinch the nerves.

You can go ahead and visit Absolute Integrative Physical Medicine to start getting treatment for your sciatic pain. Just dial (707) 474-5688 and set up an appointment so that you can go back to your pain-free life in the soonest time possible.