Sciatica – is literally a big fat pain in the butt!!
So what is sciatica and what can you do to avoid or relieve?
Sciatica is pain radiating along the sciatic nerve, which runs down one or both legs from the lower back/buttocks area.
It can be caused when a bulging disc or a bone spur perhaps in the spine, presses on the sciatic nerve. Often the piriformis muscle can be pressing on the nerve and initiating the intense pain.
Pain originates in the spine and radiates down the back of the leg. Sciatica typically affects only one side of the body, which can also indicate an unbalanced pelvis (hips).
As I am also a Bowen therapist of 18 years I tend to initiate the healing with the physical therapy first and add in the homeopathic to match the individual presentation of the person.
Which remedy?
Colocynthis: Left-sided. Pains come and go suddenly. Nerve pains are cutting, pinching, clamping, gnawing, or boring. Pains like electric shocks. Pains followed by numbness. Better by bending forward, hard pressure, gentle motion, knees to chest, heat. You will find it is worse by resting.
Rhus Tox: Left-sided or left to right. All pains are aching, tearing, sore , bruised , stiff, as if bones scraped with a knife, lameness.Better by warm application, continued motion and worse by first movement and overexertion.
Gnaphalium: Right-sided more affected than the left. Intense pain along the sciatic nerve. Sciatica pain associated with numbness.Cramps in calves and foot.Better sittung in a chair,, drawing up the limb, flexing leg on abdomen, sitting with bended knee. Worse by cold, damp weather, at night, on lying down, by motion, by stepping.
Phytolacca: Right-sided. Can be caused by exposure to cold and damp (Rhus Tox). Spreading pains flying like electric shocks, rapidly shifting, shooting, lancinating.Better by rest, lying on abdomen or left-side. Worse motion and night.
Which exercise?
The best way to alleviate most sciatica pain is to do any stretch that can externally rotate the hip to provide some relief.
Here are six exercises that you can ‘google’ to do in your own home:
reclining pigeon pose
sitting pigeon pose
forward pigeon pose
knee to opposite shoulder
sitting spinal stretch
standing hamstring string
The above remedies are just a few more common ones but there are many more depending on your individual presentation. For help with a remedy to match your individual presentation of the dreaded sciatica, go here to book a free chat to see if I am the one to help you.