Sciatica, or inflammation of the sciatic nerve, begins with severe pain. Most often it resolves on its own within a few weeks; however, the excruciating pain makes it hard to wait it out. In the case of sciatica, your first task should be pain relief; once the pain is eased, focus on eliminating the underlying cause. Treating sciatica at home requires persistence, but it yields results within a few weeks.
Symptoms of Sciatica
The sciatic nerve (nervus ischiadicus) originates at the level of the lower lumbar region and the upper edge of your pelvis. It runs through the hip and buttock area, down the thighs, all the way to the lower leg. This is why sciatica symptoms appear accordingly. The pain may manifest in the lower back, but usually radiates downward toward the genitals, buttock, back of the thigh, and the back and outer side of the lower leg. In mild cases, only this pain occurs, but it can also cause sensory disturbances and even paralysis.
As I mentioned, the pain most often appears in the buttock, thigh, or lower leg, which can fool you—and even an inexperienced doctor!
The source of the pain is actually up at the lumbar spine! Even though your thigh or lower leg hurts, treatment must be applied to the spine to relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve!
Causes of Sciatica
The “root” of sciatica lies around the lumbar (also called lumbal) spine. It can be caused by slipped, compressed, or displaced vertebrae, spinal canal narrowing, calcification of the spinal joints, or a herniated disc. Often, simple weakness of the supporting muscles and poor posture trigger it. The vertebrae move closer together and press on the nerve fibers exiting between them.
If you have never had sciatica before, see a doctor as soon as possible to determine the cause and assess the severity. If you have been examined and your complaint recurs, you can begin home treatment right away.
Home Treatment of Sciatica
If surgery is not indicated, the treatment is conservative, aiming to reduce pain and relieve pressure on the nerve.
Optional treatment methods
- Medications
- Muscle relaxants
- Analgesics (primarily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
- May come as tablets, infusions, intramuscular injections, or pain relief patches
- Long-term use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs may involve unwanted side effects.
- Physiotherapy, alongside or even in place of medication
- Nerve stimulation: TENS, but preferably microcurrent (MENS) therapy
- Muscle stimulation
- Therapeutic ultrasound
- Low-level laser therapy
- Magnetic therapy
Home Treatment Strategy for Sciatica
You should divide the treatment into several phases
- Pain Relief
- With TENS therapy
- With microcurrent therapy
- With ultrasound therapy (aimed at reducing edema around the nerve root)
- With low-level laser therapy (aimed at reducing edema around the nerve root and regenerating damaged cells)
- Relieving Stiffness of the Paraspinal Muscles
- With muscle stimulation, muscle-relaxing and blood flow–enhancing programs
- With ultrasound therapy (therapeutic ultrasound warms and relaxes the muscles and reduces edema)
- Strengthening the Spinal Stabilizer Muscles with Muscle Stimulation
- This is the most important step to get rid of sciatica. If we strengthen the stabilizing muscles, we prevent the vertebrae from compressing against each other and the nerve from coming under pressure.
Home physiotherapy devices provide controlled medical programs and are easy to use. All you need to do is follow the treatment recommendations. Physiotherapy sessions usually last between 10 and 30 minutes. A particular advantage is that they have no side effects and can be repeated as needed.
The effects of pain relief treatments (TENS, microcurrent, ultrasound, low-level laser) appear during treatment or after a few sessions, while muscle strengthening treatments need to be performed for weeks (this is similar to gym training—a single session won’t make you fit, but if you are persistent, the beneficial effects will follow).
Electrode Placement for Sciatic Pain
In sciatica, electrodes for pain relief TENS and microcurrent treatments are often placed in the wrong spots. Because the pain usually radiates into the leg, the electrodes are stuck there (thigh, knee, lower leg).
The real cause of sciatica is in the lumbar spine. Accordingly, the focus of reducing sciatic pain should be the lower back.
The electrode placement I recommend can be seen in the illustration below. This is how you should place and connect the electrodes.
