Where Does Siatica Come From? 

The injury and pain from your siatica may be caused by a variety of routine activities such as

• a sports injury
• work around the house or in the garden
• a sudden jolt, such as a car accident or fall
• other stresses on your spinal bones and surrounding tissues, especially repetitive, stressful movements.

Siatica symptoms may range from:

• muscle ache to shooting or stabbing back pain
• limited flexibility and range of motion
• inability to stand up straight.

Chronic back pain is usually defined as pain that persists for more than 3 months. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine.

Taking a higher level view, most acute back pain and sciatica is the result of:

• trauma or injury to your lower back
• a longer-term disorder such as arthritis
• an inherited weakness or condition
• poor lifestyle choices (diet, movement, exercise etc)
• old age

What Is The Recommended Treatment?

Most siatica and low back pain can be treated without surgery. The goal of treatment is to reduce and stop the pain, restore proper function and strength to your back to prevent recurrence of the injury. 

Effective pain relief may involve a combination of prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies. Really, though you should be aiming to find a solution that doesn't require you to keep taking drugs, because these generally create unwanted side effects and hinder your ability to understand the messages your body is sending you.

You may also want to consider visiting a specialist such as a chiropractor, an osteopath, or a physiotherapist.

Some people find the the use of cold and hot compresses helps to reduce their pain and inflammation and allows greater mobility. Generally, ice applied to an injury site immediately after its occurrence stimulates blood flow to the area and helps to reduce pain and inflammation.

We recommend the Better Back System as a way to stop your back pain and help you to loosen and strengthen your surrounding joints and supporting muscles.

Should I Rest or Exercise?

These days bed rest is usually recommended for only 1–2 days at most. Your goal is to resume activities as soon as possible.

You can help prevent repeat back injuries by engaging in regular exercise that doesn't jolt or strain your back and helps you maintain the correct posture.

In particular, always take care to lift objects properly:

• bend your knees
• keep the object close to you
• keep your back straight.

In the most serious cases, when a condition does not respond to other therapies, surgery may relieve pain caused by back problems or serious musculoskeletal injuries. However, this is really a last resort to be avoided if possible.

Siatica Prevention

Regular, preventative exercise may be the most effective way to speed recovery and reduce or stop back pain. In particular, exercises that help you strengthen your "core stability" muscles and the abdominal muscles that both help to support and protect your back will pay dividends.

We recommend the Better Back System because it helps you loosen and strengthen the joints and supporting muscles that help your back stay injury free.

What Can I Expect In The Future?

Most patients with siatica and back pain recover without residual functional loss, if they eliminate the cause of the problem. Recurring back pain often results from improper body mechanics (posture, lifting etc), or other non-traumatic causes, such as stress. In other words, you can usually prevent this type of siatica if you stop doing whatever it is that aggravates your back.

Many work-related injuries are caused or aggravated by stressors such as heavy lifting, vibration, repetitive motion, and awkward posture.

Applying ergonomic principles — designing furniture and tools to protect the body from injury — at home and in the workplace can greatly reduce the risk of back injury and help maintain a healthy back.

Warning

If there is no noticeable reduction in your pain and inflammation after 72 hours of self-care consult your doctor.