By Eddie Tobey
The term “sciatica” refers to pain along a specific nerve – the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down through each leg. It usually caused by a wayward vertebral disc, more commonly referred to as a pinched nerve or a herniated, ruptured, or slipped disc that has shifted from it’s normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root), which connects to the sciatic nerve.
The intensity and duration of the pain varies with each person, and ranges from an infrequent and slightly irritating sensation to a constant, debilitating pain. It normally affects the lower back and one leg only, but pain may also extend to the feet and toes. Typical “flare-ups” last two weeks to a few months. During these episodes, sufferers have several options for sciatica pain relief.
At-home remedies such as heat and ice packs often work wonders to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation. They should be used in twenty minute intervals every couple of hours for optimum effect. Over-the-counter or prescription medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) may also bring sciatica pain relief. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be particularly helpful in reducing inflammation, but can have painful side effects.
If pain is severe, a patient may receive an epidural steroid injection. Steroids are injected directly into the painful area around the nerve and greatly reduce inflammation and pain. These injections are temporary and provide sciatic pain relief anywhere from one week to a year.
Physical therapy and chiropractic care ease the painful symptoms of sciatica and work as correctives to prevent future recurrences of the condition by helping to strengthen and tone the lower back.
If pain persists for two to three months and the aforementioned treatments have not worked, surgery may be the most effective solution. Sufferers and their doctors must choose between two surgical procedures performed to relieved the pain of sciatica. These surgeries are elective and effective, relieving 75% to 95% of patients’ pain.
Pain Relief Info provides detailed information on arthritis, back, joint, lower back, natural, chronic, neck, sciatica, knee, fibromyalgia, and muscle pain relief. Pain Relief Info is the sister site of Acid Reflux Web.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eddie_Tobey
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Reduce Back Pain Through Alignment
By Ingrid Bacci
Our bodies are remarkably complex machines, developed through thousands of years of evolution that fine-tuned our ability to move with speed, grace and endurance.
The ability to move easily and without pain, and effectively to resist the strains of life, is dependent on a subtle interaction of bones, joints and muscles, in which each partner to that interaction commits to performing a specific function. When the partners perform their proper functions, then our muscles, bones and joints tend to remain healthy. When one or more partners fail to perform their designated role, however, or take on work intended for one of the other partners, our bodies begin to suffer. If this situation persists for a long time, chronic pain results.
It is our bones that bear the primary responsibility for carrying our weight. When we stand correctly, which is synonymous with feeling relaxed, flexible and mobile, our bones offer us structural support. This leaves the joints free of pressure and enables them to work as hinges.
It also offers the muscles the opportunity to relax and lengthen so as to further support freedom in the joints. When our bones perform their proper function, our bodies are said to be in alignment.
When we are aligned, our bones stack up one upon the other. For example, when we stand aligned, the head rests directly on top of the spine, rather than jutting forward. If we are out of alignment, for example if our head and neck jut forward, then our neck and back muscles have to work to hold the head up. If the head sits directly over the neck and the neck sits directly on top of the rest of the spine, then the bones of the spine support the head and the neck muscles can relax. Similarly, when we are aligned, our back is straight rather than hunched or swaybacked, our shoulders, hips, knees and feet are all neatly stacked in a vertical line, and our weight is distributed evenly on both feet. Bone supports bone.
When we are not aligned, when we lean forward or back, hunch or collapse, tilt to one side, etc., this puts pressure on the joints, contributing to arthritis, disc degeneration, tearing of cartilage, and joint and membrane inflammation. In addition, muscles must now carry the weight of the body. They do this by contracting. When muscles contract too often for too long they both become chronically tight and painful, and put further pressure on bones and joints. This initiates a cycle of chronic muscle pain, joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis. Muscles are meant for movement and to maintain space between the joints. They are not meant to carry our weight. This is why misalignment--the failure of the bones to carry the weight of the bod--is a major source of chronic pain.
© 2007 Ingrid Bacci PhD All rights Reserved
This article is FREE when published with resource box.
Written by: Ingrid Bacci PhD, CST, an internationally recognized healer, bodyworker, author and teacher of self-empowerment. For free information and products on mind-body healing from chronic pain and stress, visit http://ingridbacci.com For Ingrid's books, a) Effortless Pain Relief and b) The Art of Effortless Living, go to http://amazon.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ingrid_Bacci
Our bodies are remarkably complex machines, developed through thousands of years of evolution that fine-tuned our ability to move with speed, grace and endurance.
The ability to move easily and without pain, and effectively to resist the strains of life, is dependent on a subtle interaction of bones, joints and muscles, in which each partner to that interaction commits to performing a specific function. When the partners perform their proper functions, then our muscles, bones and joints tend to remain healthy. When one or more partners fail to perform their designated role, however, or take on work intended for one of the other partners, our bodies begin to suffer. If this situation persists for a long time, chronic pain results.
It is our bones that bear the primary responsibility for carrying our weight. When we stand correctly, which is synonymous with feeling relaxed, flexible and mobile, our bones offer us structural support. This leaves the joints free of pressure and enables them to work as hinges.
It also offers the muscles the opportunity to relax and lengthen so as to further support freedom in the joints. When our bones perform their proper function, our bodies are said to be in alignment.
When we are aligned, our bones stack up one upon the other. For example, when we stand aligned, the head rests directly on top of the spine, rather than jutting forward. If we are out of alignment, for example if our head and neck jut forward, then our neck and back muscles have to work to hold the head up. If the head sits directly over the neck and the neck sits directly on top of the rest of the spine, then the bones of the spine support the head and the neck muscles can relax. Similarly, when we are aligned, our back is straight rather than hunched or swaybacked, our shoulders, hips, knees and feet are all neatly stacked in a vertical line, and our weight is distributed evenly on both feet. Bone supports bone.
When we are not aligned, when we lean forward or back, hunch or collapse, tilt to one side, etc., this puts pressure on the joints, contributing to arthritis, disc degeneration, tearing of cartilage, and joint and membrane inflammation. In addition, muscles must now carry the weight of the body. They do this by contracting. When muscles contract too often for too long they both become chronically tight and painful, and put further pressure on bones and joints. This initiates a cycle of chronic muscle pain, joint pain, inflammation, and arthritis. Muscles are meant for movement and to maintain space between the joints. They are not meant to carry our weight. This is why misalignment--the failure of the bones to carry the weight of the bod--is a major source of chronic pain.
© 2007 Ingrid Bacci PhD All rights Reserved
This article is FREE when published with resource box.
Written by: Ingrid Bacci PhD, CST, an internationally recognized healer, bodyworker, author and teacher of self-empowerment. For free information and products on mind-body healing from chronic pain and stress, visit http://ingridbacci.com For Ingrid's books, a) Effortless Pain Relief and b) The Art of Effortless Living, go to http://amazon.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ingrid_Bacci
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