Naturopathy Treatment of Sciatica Are you suffering from Sciatica don’t lose heart there is naturopathy treatment available with a mindful, targeted yoga practice and diet regimen that can help you overcome the pain. Surgery is not the only option. Naturopathy gives a viable option. Symptoms of Sciatica Sciatica pain is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is actually a bundle of nerves at the base of the spine from where it branches off through the buttocks muscles to the deep muscles at the back of the thighs down the legs to the foot. The sciatic nerve are the longest nerve in the human body. When pressure is put on the sciatic nerve, it can cause symptoms ranging from tingling and/or numbness to excruciating pain. Sciatica generally flares up while bending over, running, sitting (especially driving) and during many other everyday movements, both active and passive. Symptoms of Sciatica include:
Pain anywhere along the sciatic nerve pathway:
in the lower back, buttock, back of the thigh, and/or calf.
Fatigue, numbness, or loss of feeling in your legs and/or feet.
An electric, tingling, burning, pinching, or pins-and-needles feeling known as paresthesia.
Weakness that can cause your knees to buckle when you stand up from sitting.
Weak reflexes in the Achilles tendon and knee.
One is not able to flex the ankles to walk on heels.
A few other symptoms are: Pain and a needles sensation down the outside of the calf muscle to the web space between the little and fourth toes. Difficulty walking on your heels or on your toes. Burning in the back of your thigh and calf down to your heel, with stiffness in your legs. (Note: In some cases this can signal a problem in the spine instead of the piriformis.) Pain from sitting, accompanied by a tingling sensation at the back of your thigh. The pain may be relieved by standing, but you still experience numbness in all of your toes even when standing. Buttock and sciatic pain from exercising or sitting for long periods of time, with or without sensations of numbness, weakness, or tingling. While the pain may appear during standing activities, it gets worse when you sit down. What Causes Sciatica The sciatic pain often caused by Herniated disk in the lumbar spine, which might be pressing and putting pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause excruciating sciatic pain. If one is experiencing consistent pain in the mid lower back or tingling or burning sensation or weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, it is an alarm bell to see a doctor,as these could be signs of an acute herniated disk pinching the sciatica nerve. Piriformis Syndrome Sciatica is also caused by piriformis syndrome a hip muscle called piriformis which helps in the rotation and flexing hip muscles when we walk. Injury to the piriformis muscle exerts pressure on sciatic nerve. Spinal Stenosis: constriction or narrowing in the spinal cord causes muscular imbalances that result in pressure on the sciatic nerve. Isthmic Spondylolisthesis: this is the scientific term for a dislocated vertebra that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. For the treatment for sciatica pain, it is very important to know the cause of of the pain. A physiotherapy treatment for Piriformis Syndrome, may be the worst treatment for sciatica caused by a herniated disc. Dietary Treatments for Sciatica No matter what the original cause of sciatica, muscle spasms and inflammation become part of the problem. A diet rich in magnesium can help relieve muscle spasms. Peanuts, almonds, cashew and other nuts are great sources of magnesium, as are beans, bananas and leafy green vegetables. Beverages containing caffeine and calcium deplete magnesium, so coffee, caffeinated soft drinks and calcium supplements should be reduced or eliminated. Phytates, which occur in whole grain foods and