Treating Sciatica at Home

Many patients write to me telling that they do not have health insurance and can not afford professional medical care.

Others have tried everything in the way of professional sciatica treatments from their doctors and have been so utterly frustrated by the abysmal results that they decided to go it alone and try to find their own cure.

Still other patients have endured bad experiences with doctors and now simply do not trust them at all.

In the worst of cases, the patient may simply not have access to professional care due to a remote location or a lack of medical infrastructure development locally.

Whatever the reason for home treatment, there are some options which may work well, depending on the diagnosed or suspected source of pain. However, there are also many selections which may not be so effective, so patients are warned to be cautious consumers when looking to purchase products for home sciatica care.

Treating Sciatica at Home / Symptomatic

Here are some of the popular symptomatic therapy modalities:

Ice or heat for sciatica may be soothing for some patients. No real risks or costs involved here, making this approach ideal.

Sciatica drugs usually consist of OTC products for home use without professional medical supervision. Regardless, continuing use of OTC products can still enact serious health problems.

Ayurveda may be beneficial for believers in this Indian system of healthcare. Just remember that some practices may be counterproductive.

Sciatica exercises and stretches may provide temporary or partial relief. Yoga, Pilates and tai chi are the most popular activity-based exercise programs for sciatica.

Sciatica herbs may be able to enact pain management for some who follow the all natural path. Be warned that herbs can still interact with any medications you might be using.

TENS devices are popular, although their clinical effectiveness is still in question. Being that the cost is low and risks are insignificant, there is little to lose by trying TENS.

Bed rest is perhaps one of the least enlightened of all treatments, particularly when used for an extended time frame.

Inversion for sciatica is a favorite for many sufferers and may help enact home-based spinal decompression in a few patients. Very rarely, inversion may actually help provide a lasting cure for pain which is caused by some types of nerve compression.

Sciatica back braces typically function more as emotional security blankets than they do for providing any actual structural support for the spine.

Treating Sciatica at Home / Curative

Advice for Treating Sciatica at Home

I also find fault with the idea of avoiding doctors altogether, since this is a dangerous practice. In some rare instances, there are serious structural concerns which require professional medical care, and even surgery, to resolve. Ignoring these conditions may lead to permanent damage, disability or even death.

If you are treating sciatica at home and avoiding professional medical attention, at least get checked out to be sure that your condition qualifies for the limits of home remedy use.