The sciatic nerve reaches from the lower back to the hips, buttocks and down each of the legs. It has two types of functions. As a motor function, it helps the muscles in your legs and feet move. As a sensory function, it allows you to feel sensation in your legs and feet. Sciatica, an affliction associated with the sciatic nerve, affects between 10% and 40% of the population.
What Is Sciatica?
Sciatica can be a painful malady that North Carolina physical therapy can help with. It involves the pain that travels up and down the path of the sciatic nerve. When this happens, there can be different levels of pain and discomfort. It can range from a mild tingling, dull ache or burning sensation.
Generally, the pain originates in the back and radiates down into the legs. In some cases, the pain is bad enough to render a person immobile. It has been described as a jolt or electric shock. It can be worse when coughing or sneezing. Sciatica most often only affects one side of the body.
Strengthen Your Back
Sciatica can be persistent and severe. If you’re looking for physical therapy Fayetteville NC, it might be that you’ve tried looking up home remedies for sciatica, without much success. For people struggling with severe sciatica, physical therapy can be a critical lifeline. Part of successful physical therapy involves targeting the muscles in the lower back and giving them the proper attention.
Strong muscles will help support the area around the sciatic nerve, which will make the pain go away and keep you from getting hurt again. Posture is another important concept. Proper posture helps to keep sciatica symptoms at bay as it is another way of strengthening the back.
Increase Your Range of Movement Effectively
Stretching can help with sciatica and help you keep your range of motion and, if possible, increase it. Regular exercise is a good way to avoid sciatica, but people often forget that stretching is also an important part of any workout.
Spending time with any number of stretching and exercising designed to work the core back muscles and the abdomen can expand your range of motion while, at the same time, mitigating the potential for a sciatic flair-up.
Taking Care of Your Body Will Help
Practicing safe lifting habits is an example of how to not aggravate sciatica. You should never lift weights that’s too heavy or challenging. Never lift without the proper technique and don’t twist when you’re lifting. When standing for a long time, find a way to rest your legs alternately on a stool or some other device.
Sciatica can often be resolved without surgery through conservative, non-surgical treatments. It doesn’t have to be debilitating, and you definitely shouldn’t suffer it in silence. If you’ve got sciatica. You may wonder, “is there physical therapy near me?” The good news is that there is a relief. Visit a physical therapist today to get the proper sciatica treatment for a healthier and more comfortable tomorrow.
