How to treat sciatica at home?

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

Sciatica is an acute inflammation of the nerve roots that enter the intervertebral foramen. Its manifestations are sudden, and the pain is extremely strong, it is impossible to describe or imagine it without feeling it on yourself.

In more than 95% of cases, the causes of sciatica are osteochondrosis, in the remaining 5% - injuries, hernias, wear and deformation of the intervertebral discs and the spinal column, infections, heavy lifting (even in healthy people, strong pressure on the vertebrae causes pinching of nerves, inflammation and pain).

This syndrome also happens in pregnant women, when a sharp weight gain increases the load on the spine and unprepared muscles. Radiculitis can also provoke hormonal changes, as well as metabolic disorders. But most often the risk group for this disease is made up of athletes or, conversely, people who lead a sedentary lifestyle.

There are different types of sciatica:

• lumbosacral;
• chest;
• cervicobrachial;
• cervical.

Until recently, it was believed that most of the elderly people suffer from this disease, but nowadays this disease has become significantly "younger" due to improper sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work, stress and other negative factors.

Statistics show that this pathology occurs in every eighth person on the planet over the age of 45.

Signs of sciatica

The main symptom of this disease is, of course, pain. It occurs in the place where a person's spine is damaged: in the cervical, thoracic or lumbosacral regions.

For a while, it can be dulled, but then it can be renewed with greater force.

The next common symptoms of sciatica are loss of sensitivity, numbness of the limbs, weakness and lethargy in the muscles, as well as malfunctions, burning or tingling in them, dizziness, headache, weakening of hearing or vision, dysfunction of the intestines, organs of the genitourinary system (with sciatica lumbar spine). But sometimes these symptoms are also signs of other diseases, so a qualified neurologist should diagnose it.

Treatment of sciatica at home

The first condition that ensures the successful treatment of sciatica both in hospital and at home is rest, the maximum possible limitation of the patient's motor activity, bed rest on an even and hard bed. It is important to reduce the mobility of the injured spine. For this purpose, a fixing corset is also used.

To quickly reduce pain, medications are used in various forms. After anesthesia, physiotherapy methods are used. But long-term treatment with analgesics irritates the digestive tract, leads to stomach ulcers, and increases the risk of kidney disease and heart attacks. Some of the strong analgesics are addictive.

In this regard, it is important to carry out precisely the treatment at home, and not getting rid of the symptoms, for which you can use various folk remedies and methods:

• ointments with the main active ingredient - snake venom or with the effect of local irritation, which improve blood circulation;
• garlic (three larger heads of garlic need to be boiled in 0.5 liters of water, crush them into gruel, put on a napkin and fix it on the lower back. Then cover it with cellophane and wrap it in a warm scarf. Wear a compress all day, remove in the evening);
• sheep's wool (soak a piece of sheep's wool fabric in a salty solution, dry it after an hour, attach two elastic bands so that you can wear it like a belt);
• bath (you need to thoroughly steam the lower back, then rub it with a broom and rub in black laundry soap and rub it lightly at first, followed by increasing effort);

Good folk remedies for the treatment of sciatica are tinctures and ointments from herbal ingredients. We offer you affordable and uncomplicated recipes that you can quickly prepare at home.

Treatment with wild garlic tincture

This is an excellent folk remedy for the treatment of sciatica, which needs to be rubbed on the sore spot. Then you need to wrap him up and go to bed. The pain goes away very quickly.

Method of tincture preparation: put the wild garlic to the top in a three-liter jar, seal and fill with alcohol, moonshine or vodka. Insist in the dark for a month, then strain and bottle. Store them in the refrigerator.

Treatment with rosemary ointment

This folk remedy helps even when all methods have been tried, but relief does not come. Ointment for rubbing with radiculitis from marsh rosemary is made in the following way: put two tablespoons in a small saucepan. l. dry rosemary, pour five tbsp. l. vegetable oil, stir and heat the mixture without boiling. Cool slightly, drain into a glass jar, close it tightly. Let the mixture sit for about ten hours, then strain through cheesecloth and rub into the sore spot in the morning and evening.

Treatment with burdock leaves and roots

You can use applications from fresh burdock leaves: attach them to a sore spot, wrap with oilcloth, cotton wool (gauze) and fix with a bandage.

Burdock tincture is used for rubbing. The method for its preparation is as follows: pour 20 g of ground plant roots with 100 ml of alcohol (70% can be used). Let the composition stand (shaking the future tincture from time to time) in a dark place for a couple of weeks.

Treatment with sap and birch leaves

Birch sap helps cleanse the blood of toxins and normalizes metabolic processes, so it is useful for ingestion and for radiculopathies. It should be drunk about a glass three times a day for 30 minutes. before meals, for 10-14 days, after which it is advisable to take a break.

Birch leaves are used as compresses. Before use, they are poured over with boiling water.

Barberry bark treatment

The strained barberry bark tincture is drunk 30 drops three times a day. The method of preparation is as follows: pour 25 g of dry powdered bark with 100 ml of alcohol and let the composition infuse in a dark place for 10-14 days.

If you do not deal with the timely treatment of diseases of the spine, then the disease will go into a chronic form and cause anxiety to a person all his life with severe discomfort and a serious decrease in working capacity.

Over time, the likelihood of developing complications increases, which can lead to paralysis of the limbs and spinal cord infarction.

If exacerbations of sciatica become regular, it is better not to experiment with folk remedies, but contact a specialist who will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment.

Also, do not forget that any disease is easier to prevent than to cure it. Therefore, try to engage in the prevention of sciatica: do therapeutic exercises to strengthen the muscles of the back, which will relieve excessive stress on the spine, creating a natural muscle corset.

Swimming is beneficial for the spine, but it is important not to allow hypothermia and not to make sudden movements. It will benefit your back and lose weight. Try not to lift weights, do not be in an incline for a long time, and perform heavy physical work in a corset. Also, watch your posture, eat right.

First of all, reduce the amount of salt in the diet, increase the intake of fiber (eat more raw vegetables). Try to steam, avoid greasy, fried, spicy foods. Avoid sweets, coffee, and strong teas if possible. But garlic, bananas, lemon juice, bone broth and jellied meat will be useful.

Sometimes sciatica is exacerbated by a lack of vitamin B12 in the body. Introduce its sources into your diet - seafood, meat products, fish, dairy products, soy products, corn flakes, eggs, etc. Take care of yourself, do prevention and do not get sick!