As the longest nerve in your body, your sciatic nerve has the potential to cause a lot of pain. Its roots start in your lumbar spinal cord and extend to your lower limbs, allowing you to feel sensations and execute certain movements. Ageing, injuries, and life events have the potential to compress your sciatic nerve. When compression happens, it causes pain that extends from your back and down one leg, making life uncomfortable. If you want to tackle sciatica head on, there are ways an osteopath can help.
Increasing the gaps between your vertebrae
If your osteopath suggests that two of your vertebrae are resting close together and compressing the nerve, they'll use techniques to create more space. Osteopaths refer to this as spinal traction. The person treating you will induce passive movements that stretch the spine with the aim of encouraging an alignment that frees up your sciatic nerve. In some cases, mechanical traction proves beneficial. With mechanical traction, you rest on a table and your clinician will use pulleys and weights to realign your spine.
Muscle release techniques
Although spinal entrapment is a common cause of sciatica, some people find that the impingement is arising from one of their buttocks. Specifically, the piformis muscle in your buttock that's responsible for rotating your hip will spasm and tighten, compressing your sciatic nerve and producing pain. If your piformis muscle is the culprit, you'll find that the pain starts in your buttock and worsens upon climbing stairs or sitting still for a long time. Your osteopath may use deep massage techniques to release some of the spasms. Additionally, they'll introduce you to self-directed exercises that you can continue at home to speed up your recovery.
Using orthostatic support
With every step you take, the structures that allow your legs and hips to function absorb shock. As you age, you may find that your body becomes less effective at compensating for said shocks. Orthostatic inserts support the arches of your feet and cushion some of the blows you'll usually encounter when walking. When you assist your leg from the ground up, you make it easier for your lower limb muscles to support the structures above. As a result, they're less likely to fall out of place and compress your sciatic nerve.
Whether you're experiencing sciatic pain for the first time or yours is a repeat offender, your osteopath can provide invaluable advice. Using a bespoke plan, they'll gently work out your aches and pains, allowing you to enjoy a relaxing life.
Share15 August 2018
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes ten years ago. Since my diagnosis, I have been committed to learning how to modify my lifestyle and adopt healthy practices, such as daily exercise and eating wholefoods, that help control my diabetes and improve my quality of life. I started this blog to connect with others living with this condition and to share what I've learned on my personal journey to better health. I also update the blog with the latest research and news relating to type 2 diabetes. If you have a specific question that's not been addressed in a blog post, feel free to send me an email.
