Before starting any treatment or therapy for sciatica
or any other painful condition, it is important that
you have your condition properly diagnosed by a doctor.
You need to be certain that you are receiving the correct
and most appropriate treatment.
Physical Therapy for
sciatica has proven to give great pain relief to many
sciatica sufferers; there are several different types
of treatment that a physical therapist can use to relieve
the pain and other symptoms of sciatica, some of which
you can use yourself at home.
Many doctors will treat sciatica patients with short-term
rest, anti-inflammatory or analgesic medication before
referring the patient to a physical therapist. This
allows the initial injury to subside a little before
therapy begins.
It has been shown, however, that exercise
and activity is more effective at relieving the pain
and symptoms of sciatica than extended rest. Resting
for a short while immediately after the pain occurs
is helpful for getting the severity of the pain under
control, but then gentle movement and slow walking will
be more beneficial.
Different types of physical therapy include:
Heat packs
When you go to a physiotherapist, the first thing they
may do is apply heat packs to the area where you are
feeling pain. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly,
the heat increases the flow of blood to the area and
this helps to relieve the pain. Secondly, the heat relaxes
muscles that are tight or in spasm which relieves pain
but also prepares these muscles for further treatment
like exercise or massage.
Cold compress
Application of an ice pack to a painful area acts like
an analgesic by controlling any inflammation that may
be present. Cold compresses are particularly helpful
when applied soon after the injury occurred or the pain
started. They are also effective at the end of a physical
therapy session to ease any pain or irritation that
may have been caused by the treatment.
Massage
Physical therapists will often perform deep massage
to release tense or tight muscles. While this can be
painful at the time, it is a good way to release pressure
and relieve pain. Deep massage is more effective if
the area has been warmed by heat packs first.
Ultrasound
This technique is used widely by physical therapists
now as a more effective method of warming tissue than
applying heat packs. The increased blood flow induced
by the treatment helps to promote more rapid healing,
eliminate scar tissue and reduce inflammation.
Exercises
Targeted exercises are used by physiotherapists to strengthen
weak muscles and stretch shortened ones. The therapist
will show you how the exercise is performed and then
watch you to ensure that you are doing them correctly.
You will probably be encouraged to do the exercises
at home on a daily basis.
The aim of therapeutic exercises
is to strengthen your core muscles and help your body
regain normal balance and good posture. Both of these
strategies will help to relieve sciatica pain in the
short and long-term and reduce the incidence of further
injury.
The exact sciatica exercises you are given will be
determined by the cause of your sciatica, but generally
they fall into three main categories. Core muscle strength
is achieved by strengthening the abdominal group of
muscle in the front and the muscles attached to the
spine at the back.
Stretching focuses on the hamstring muscles in the
back of the thigh, the quadriceps in the front of the
thigh and the muscles of the neck and lower back which
become shortened with poor posture. Aerobic exercise
will be encouraged to improve the over-all fitness and
general health and possibly to help maintain an ideal
body weight. For aerobic exercise to be effective it
needs to be strong enough to cause you to be slightly
breathless and to increase your heart rate.
Physical therapy is an effective sciatica treatment
for the relief of pain and other symptoms.
