Remedies for Sciatica
Sciatica is an extremely painful condition involving the sciatic nerve, which is the longest nerve in the body. It runs from the spinal cord in the lower back of the body and passes through the hip downwards to the back of each leg. Sciatic nerve controls the muscles of the legs. The sensations of the thighs, legs and feet are also controlled by this nerve.
Causes of sciatica
Compression of a nerve root in the lower spine area causes the sciatica pain. Herniated disk or slip disk is one of the common causes of sciatica. Spinal injury or stress injury could also trigger sciatica.
Picking up heavy loads, repetitive stress from physical activities and strenuous exercises could compress a root of the sciatic nerve, leading to sciatica. Often pregnant women develop sciatica.
The excess abdominal weight during pregnancy might contract the muscle in the lower back, causing pain and discomfort during pregnancy. Sitting or lying on a hard surface might pinch or irritate a nerve root triggering sciatica pain. Spinal tumor, sciatic nerve tumor and degenerative disk disease are also responsible for this pain.
Sciatica remedy
The sharp pain associated with tingling and numbness of the leg or foot could take four to eight weeks to subside naturally. Several home remedies could help to cure the pain rapidly. Applying cold compress or ice pack on the site of the pain could help to reduce the intensity of the pain. Follow the cold compress by heat compress.
Taking a few cloves of garlic everyday could provide relief from the intense pain. In folk medicine, applying poultice made of horseradish paste to the site of the pain could reduce the sciatica pain. To heal sciatica, you can have a cup of elderberry tea, two to three times a day, until your pain subsides.
Drinking three to four cups of celery juice is beneficial for treating sciatica. Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in the B vitamins, especially thiamine, could relax the muscles and reduce the pain. Increasing intake of magnesium rich foods such as bananas, nuts, beans and leafy green vegetables could provide relief from the sciatica pain.
