A pinched nerve means a presence of a damaged or strained nerve tissue (hence the word ‘pinched’) causing it to function improperly leading to pain along its path. Strain on the nerve by tissue surrounding it causes the symptoms of weakness, tingling and pain along the pathway of the affected nerve. The sciatic nerve is a major nerve in the body and if this nerve is the one affected, the symptoms are much intensified and can radiate from lower back down to your lower leg, and in severe cases even the soles of the feet are affected.
A good number of pinched sciatic nerve cases are caused by a herniated disc, the bulging out of a vertebra from spine alignment mainly caused by severe injury. The protruding disc presses on the sciatic nerve which then leads to the pain of sciatica. The location of the pain symptoms is directly associated to the part of the sciatic nerve that is strained. It is important to isolate the area of the symptoms to help you choose the proper sciatic nerve pain relief course to take.
It is imperative that you have your condition diagnosed by specialist so that you can be given the most appropriate treatment. When you have been diagnosed with a pinched sciatic nerve, there are several sciatic nerve pain relief treatment options. These include bed rest, for as long as the doctor says, pain medications such as anti inflammatory medications, analgesics, cortisone injections and muscle relaxers. Hot and cold compress directly on affected area is also a good fast reliever. A series of physical therapy sessions is also suggested sometimes mainly for severe back sciatic nerve pain relief. Sciatic nerve pain relief exercises and stretches are also a good relief option. Alternative therapies such as homeopathy acupuncture and herbal medicine is also something to look into.
Prevention is always the best recourse, avoid back pain and pinched sciatic nerve by not carrying extremely heavy equipment, avoid repetitive physical activities, sitting down in a single position for long periods of time can cause this too, too much rigorous exercise and weight lifting is also a minor cause of pinched nerves.