When the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed, especially from a herniated disc, the pain can be very severe and, if allowed to set in, it can become chronic. Here are some tips to relieve yourself.

How to recognize a sciatica ?

If we had to give a definition of sciatica to differentiate it from any back pain, it would have to be said that it is primarily related to irritation of the nerve. If the pain can lie in the lumbar region, in the buttock, down the leg and to the tips of the toes, it is not easy to specify the type of pain felt because everyone perceives pain differently. Electric shock, throbbing pain, pinching, tingling, weakness in the leg (s), cramping, pain in the thigh, radiation in the foot …

It remains to be seen how sciatica is triggered. It can be linked to overweight, osteoarthritis (narrowing of the lumbar canal), a herniated disc (compression of the nerve roots), pregnancy, poor posture, aging, diabetes, etc. To get rid of it quickly, you have to take the damage early. After several weeks, the nerve is very irritated and it becomes difficult to heal it. and relieve the patient. 

Sport and stretching

Before seeking medical attention, and if the pain is bearable, it is possible to adopt some good habits to relieve the nerve and reduce the pain: stand up straight, avoid crossing your legs when sitting, sleep on your back, legs a little raised, no longer sleep on your stomach… In the midst of a crisis, stop exercising. Outside of these periods, maintain regular physical activity. Walk, cycle … Only by strengthening your muscles and especially your abdominal belt, can you decompress the nerve and relax the muscles around it.

Many stretching exercises are also recommended. For example, you can lie on your back: grab the left thigh behind the knee with both hands and cross the left leg over the right leg. The head remains on the ground. Hold the position for thirty seconds and repeat the exercise three times on each side. Be careful, these movements should relieve you: if the pain gets worse, stop everything and rest. After two or three days of self-medication, if nothing changes, see your doctor.

Natural products

Natural products are always welcome in this kind of situation. You can, when evil breaks out, apply a hot or cold pack, whichever relieves you the most. Are massages good for you? So try this cocktail of essential oils offered by doctor Jean-michel Morel, phytotherapist. 

« Lying on the painless side, shoulders, hips and head aligned, legs bent, a cushion between the knees. Massage the back then the lumbar muscles and descend along the painful path. The right mixture: 1 teaspoon of arnica massage oil in which analgesic essential oils are diluted: clove, wintergreen, turpentine, lemon eucalyptus, 1 drop of each. A massage to be done several times a day and over several days. »

When to seek medical help or treatment?

If the pain is hardly bearable, make an appointment with your doctor. He will prescribe painkillers or anti-inflammatories if the pain is more severe, and can advise you to follow a few physiotherapy sessions that will relieve you. 

Some people recommend taking codeine, sometimes even morphine. Others recommend, after an MRI or a CT scan, cortisone infiltrations that will be made around the sciatic nerve. The use of surgery, even in the case of a herniated disc, is very rare. 

Maylis Choné

To read also: The buttocks