What is sciatica?
Sciatica manifests as pain along the sciatic nerves. This pain starts from the lower back, passing through the buttocks and down all the way through the legs and often stops below the knees. It is linked to spinal injuries and the pain felt can be debilitating. Medical follow-up is therefore necessary.
What is the sciatic nerve?
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve. Its role is to ensure the sensitivity and movement of the legs and feet. It is composed of lower and sacral lumbar roots. The sciatic nerve is the terminal branch of these roots.
What are the factors likely to cause sciatica?
The spine is made up of several vertebrae. Between the latter, there are discs which separate them. These discs undergo an aging process that reduces their elasticity and weakens them.
It can happen that these intervertebral discs make unusual movements and cause them to compress a nerve, which is the origin of the pain felt. Indeed, when the sciatic nerve, responsible for nerve transmission to the gluteal muscles and the lower limbs, is compressed, you feel pain in the back of the thigh up to the calf.
One of the causes of sciatic pain is a herniated disc. In this case, the disc is altered and permanently presses the nerve, which generates, in addition to the pain of the hernia, sciatic pain.
Pregnant women are likely to have sciatica if the weight gain during pregnancy is significant. Being overweight leads to poor back position and pinching of the lumbar discs.
There are other factors that can cause sciatica such as:
- A narrow lumbar canal, which usually affects older people;
- An inflammation of the muscle that extends from the femur and passes next to the sciatic nerve. If it gets irritated, it can put pressure on the nerve and cause pain;
- Poor positioning of the facet joints. These are thin joints that are located at the top and bottom of the vertebrae, poor positioning of these surfaces causes back pain and sometimes sciatica;
- A violent blow to the back following an accident or a fall;
- Osteoarthritis which generally affects the elderly.
What are the natural treatments for sciatic pain?
There are natural methods that can relieve and prevent sciatic pain. Some methods are not recommended in case of acute attacks. If the doctor considers that the patient should be monitored, these methods can serve him as much as an adjunct to treatment.
Physical exercises to relieve the pain of sciatica
To soothe sciatic pain, you can opt for specific postures and stretches. However, it is important to do these exercises properly to avoid making sciatica worse.
These exercises will help the patient control their symptoms and prevent sciatica. However, it would be necessary to consult the opinion of a chiropractor to know if the physical condition of the patient allows him to practice these exercises. This specialist can even suggest specific postures adapted to the patient's case.
The exercises to do to relieve sciatica are as follows:
- Stretching the piriformis muscle: in a seated position, cross the left leg over the knee of the right leg, pull the left knee towards the inside of the thighs until you feel a stretch in the left buttock. Hold the position for 20 seconds;
- The Mckenzie method: lumbar extension, while lying on your stomach, hold the body with your hands and arms straight, keep the lower part glued to the floor and raise the upper body. Hold the position for 20 seconds;
- Bridge exercise: lying on your back, knees bent at 90° then raise your buttocks upwards to form a straight line with your body, hold the posture for 15 seconds, then relax and repeat the movement 10 times;< /li>
- Hamstring stretch: in a standing position, put the heel of your foot on a chair, then pull your buttocks back and lean your back forward. Hold the position for 20 seconds then repeat the exercise 3 times;
- Relaxation of the hamstring muscles: in a seated position, press the back of the thigh on a foam roller and slide it up and down the thigh and buttocks for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise several times.
Massages to calm sciatica
Specific massages with essential oils can help reduce the pain of sciatica and prevent possible back attacks. The oils recommended for this type of massage are oils based on clove and based on lemon eucalyptus.
These vegetable oils have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. They then contribute greatly to the relief of sciatic pain. These massages can be done at home but it is recommended to be massaged by a physiotherapist to be sure not to aggravate the pain.
The masseur will first palpate along the spine and the sciatic nerve to identify tender points. Then, he will gently massage the sensitive areas with oil and ice cubes to reduce inflammation. He also uses heating pads on the spine at the end of the massage to relax the muscles.
Does CBD relieve sciatic pain?
CBD or cannabidiol is a substance found in the hemp plant. This material has many therapeutic benefits and can be used in many ways.
What are the health benefits of CBD?
The health properties of CBD are numerous:
- It relieves muscle pain;
- It fights against cognitive disorders;
- It prevents cardiovascular diseases;
- It relieves stress and anxiety;
- It helps to improve the quality of sleep.
CBD and sciatica
Being a substance with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, CBD is highly recommended for sciatic pain. It is a natural method that has few or no side effects unlike other medical treatments.
Back pain in general is likely to be relieved by cannabis in oil or capsule form. The most effective method for sciatic pain is to massage the affected area with CBD oil.
However, it is difficult in some cases to give a massage, it is even not recommended to massage the area in the midst of a sciatica crisis at the risk of aggravating lower back pain. Although effective, CBD alone is not enough to cure sciatica, it must accompany treatment prescribed by a doctor.
