Everything You Need To Know About Sciatica

How to deal with Sciatica injuries, the do’s and do not’s.

Everything You Need To Know About Sciatica

For those who are not very familiar with sciatica related injuries, sciatica is a nerve-related injury that causes pain to a person in his/her lower back which travels down to one leg and sometimes even one’s foot.

This injury is not only common in sportsmen but also in ordinary people who live an active life.

Generally, sciatica pain starts from the lower back or buttocks. It is quite common that it occurs as a lumbar disc herniation. This could be a

or even a bad fall. It causes the sciatic nerve to be pressed directly which causes irritation and inflammation.

Fitness and Well-being|Techniques

The other causes of sciatica can be irritation nerves that are from adjacent bones, internal bleeding or even infections around the lumbar spine area.

If not due to a sports injury, sciatica occurs generally between the ages of 30-50 years.

Normal wear and tear also could contribute to this pain.

Sports can put a strain on one’s body which causes the body to get injured. Muscle, nerve, and bones related issues are very common in most if not all athletes/sportsmen.

Causes:

A lot of sports are contact sports which increase the risk of the body being impacted.

The body’s traumatic reaction to an impact can lead to the injury and compression of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica and sports injuries:

In certain cases, over a period of time, this can cause herniated discs as a result of heavy weightlifting or constant back twisting like in golf.

If it is not very severe, sciatica can be treated by doing proper stretching and even deep tissue massage in that area.

[pullquote]Under pressure, the sciatic nerve causes pain in that area, weakness and either tingling or a numbing feeling along the length of the nerve. Hence footballers, wrestlers or even golfers may get this injury, as the back is largely involved.[/pullquote]

Going to the physiotherapist is the best option for anyone with sciatica pain. They start with restoring your normal back joint range of motion and even restore the lower limb muscle flexibility.

Yoga could help you ease the pain. These are a few asanas that may soothe the pain. Source.

Treatment:

They may even recommend a few sitting of ultrasound therapy if needed.

Strengthening and conditioning of muscles like the core and back muscles

Undergoing the correct rehab for the correct amount of time is really necessary as if you ignore it or take it lightly, recovering or getting back to your usual activities can become quite the challenge.

Swimming and hydrotherapy could work for you too

. This is because swimming is such an activity where the muscles and bones aren’t loaded or strained but at the same time, they work enough to help you strengthen the required muscles. It will permit movements without causing much pain.

Especially if you are a sportsperson, you should never compromise on the amount and quality of rehabilitation required for you to get back to the sport.

If you have sciatica pain there are some things you should do and some things you shouldn’t do.

Do go to the doctor to find out the exact nature and extent of the pain

-Do light stretches to see if it eases the pain

-Do train your hips to be mobile and see that the spine is stable.

-Do not train or exercise if it provokes pain

-Do not lift heavy objects and weights

All injuries can be treated, but how well you recover is on you and how well you follow your treatment and rehabilitation programme. Do not be in a hurry to get back your sport.