Physical Therapy for Sciatica Pain

Sciatica pain can be excruciating an even debilitating. About 4 out of 10 people will at some point experience sciatic irritation of some sort, and without treatment

Sciatica pain can be excruciating an even debilitating. About 4 out of 10 people will at some point experience sciatic irritation of some sort, and without treatment, it can significantly affect the quality of one’s day-to-day living. One the best and highest recommended treatments for sciatica pain is physical therapy. Sciatica physical therapy will incorporate various stretches, strength training, and aerobic conditioning to help treat and relieve that sciatica pain.

What is the sciatic nerve?

The sciatic nerve is located by the lower spine, moving through the pelvis gluteus region. It travels down the back of each thigh and divides at the knee. When one is suffering from sciatica pain, it can occur in any of these areas of the body where the nerve connects. If there is anything putting pressure on the nerve or irritating it, one is likely to experience pain down the lower back, hips, buttocks, or thighs. The type of pain can vary from shooting to aching to burning, to a feeling of numbness or tingling.

What causes sciatica pain?

The reasons for sciatica pain can vary but are most often due to injury. Other common causes are that of a ruptured disk or spinal stenosis which is a narrowing of the spinal canal. The pain may increase when one stands up, sits for too long, twists their body, lifts an object, or even by coughing and sneezing.

What is the best treatment for sciatica pain?

The best and most highly recommended treatment for sciatica pain is physical therapy. When attending a physical therapy center in Arlington you will engage in a variety of exercises to help relieve your sciatica pain. Most physical therapists will incorporate a combination of stretches, strength training, and aerobic conditioning techniques as a part of your treatment. Your physical therapist will want to identify the targeted areas of the body that are the most significantly affected by the sciatica pain and start there.

There are few stretches that are known to help sciatica pain including:

• The reclining pigeon pose, sitting pigeon pose, and forward pigeon pose
• A sitting spinal stretch
• Standing hamstring stretches
• Knee to opposite shoulder stretches

Strengthening exercises will also help treat sciatic pain by strengthening the spinal column and surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This built strength of the spinal column’s supporting structures will in turn aid in alleviating the pain. Generally, these exercises will work on the areas such as the lower back abdominal muscles, as well as the hip and gluteus muscles.

In addition to stretching and strength building, low-impact aerobic exercises will help relieve sciatica pain by increasing circulation and promoting healing. As a part of the rehabilitation journey, these exercises often include swimming and walking or other low-impact cardiovascular workouts. The low-impact cardiovascular workouts will promote blood circulation which aids in the healing process as well as endorphin production which will help to alleviate the pain.

Proper rehabilitation in Arlington means turning to a trusted and caring physical therapy center. Here at 24 Hour On Call, Inc, our team can help. If you are suffering from sciatica pain, call us today to get started your healing journey.