Sciatica isn’t a medical condition in itself, but rather a collection of symptoms that accompany compression and irritation of the sciatic nerves. The largest and longest nerves in your body, sciatic nerves run from your lower back to your feet, down each leg.
Usually, sciatica is a temporary problem that resolves itself, but it can create pain and mobility issues that get in the way of your daily activities. Dr. James Nassiri and the team at Westside Pain Specialists can help you cope when sciatica interferes with your life.
You can prevent sciatica from returning or possibly avoid it altogether by making a few lifestyle changes to ease the burden on your spine. Today, we look at two of the primary causes as well as three lifestyle changes that can help relieve sciatica and its distracting effects.
Sciatica symptoms result from pressure or irritation of sciatic nerve tissue. The structure of the spine includes passageways for nerve roots that branch off the spinal cord.
Often, these passageways are naturally narrow, given the complexity of the joints in the spine. If something happens that further reduces the space for these nerves, pain and other symptoms may result.
Narrowing is medically known as stenosis. One of the primary causes of stenosis is a herniation of a spinal disc, one of the tough, rubbery discs that cushion and space the vertebrae. Since discs have inner tissue that’s softer and more pliable than the outer shell, it can escape should the shell become damaged.
Sometimes, disc tissue escapes but doesn’t press on nerve tissue. The disc herniation could resolve without causing symptoms.
When disc tissue touches a sciatic nerve, however, you could have pain in your lower back as well as symptoms anywhere along the sciatic nerve’s length. Stenosis can also result from bone spurs that develop when osteoarthritis affects the spine.
When you have a sciatica flare-up, your body usually responds well to the RICE protocol:
Look to lifestyle changes when you want to prevent recurrence of sciatic events. These three approaches can help you reduce the frequency and intensity of sciatica symptoms.
Your spine uses cantilever support to carry your frame. It’s at the rear of your body, but the curved design supports weight from the front.
That means every pound of body weight can create additional force on the spine depending on how far in front it sits. Losing even a modest amount of weight can relieve significant loads from your spine.
Exercise that builds the strength of core muscles also transfers loads from your spine, redistributing them through your musculoskeletal system, making life easier on your lumbar spine.
Making the most of the spine’s design means often returning your body to balanced postures to halt the impact of slouching or keep the head forward. If you work in single positions for long hours, devise a way to check and reset your posture several times an hour until balanced posture becomes a habit.
Visit us at Westside Pain Specialists in Beverly Hills or Rancho Cucamonga, California, when home care for sciatica isn’t enough. Book your appointment with our nearest location by phone today.
