Sciatica is linked to damage to the root of the sciatic nerves which is compressed causing sciatic pain in the buttock which then descends into the leg. Certain risk factors can cause sciatica.
Podcast: Sciatica, widespread and sometimes misleading pain
Can sciatica be cured?
Yes, without surgery, 80% of sciatica is cured in 8 weeks and 95% of sciatica after one year.
Sciatica, how to treat it?
Fortunately, there are effective solutions to facilitate the healing of sciatica.
- Painkillers do provide relief, although they may not affect healing. Painkillers can be paracetamol or quickly to relieve pain, more powerful analgesics like tramadol, codeine or even more powerful like morphine. If you do not have a doctor available quickly and you are in pain, while waiting to be able to consult, you can buy a drug such as Codoliprane® or Claradol codeine® without a prescription from a pharmacy, which combine paracetamol (acetaminophen) and codeine .
- Oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They can be used for 15 days, but a longer duration of treatment does not bring any benefit to the affected person.
- A pain relief heating patch can provide relief by relaxing the muscles.
- Sleeping curled up on your side, with a cushion between your legs, is the posture that relieves the most.
- Physiotherapy aims to relax muscle tension (massage, stretching), educate the affected person to perform appropriate movements so as not to aggravate the pain, and strengthen weakened muscles.
- Corticosteroid (cortisone) infiltrations relieve pain and reduce disability quickly and for 3 to 6 weeks. But they do not necessarily accelerate healing over the longer term.
- The operation is performed only in cases of severe sciatica, hyperalgesic (extreme pain not relieved by morphine), or deficit (the pressure exerted on the nerve causes paralysis or sensory disturbances), i.e. in less than 5% of cases . She enjoys 80% good results with fast pain relief.
Sciatica and Complementary Medicine
- Acupuncture can relieve pain and muscle tension.
- In massage mixed with a vegetable oil (for example vegetable oil of St. John’s wort or arnica 5 drops and 5 drops of essential oils), the essential oil of peppermint, lemon eucalyptus, Italian helichrysum, yarrow yarrow or aspic lavender.
- Homeopathy:
Colocynthis 5 CH and if severe pain and history of back pain in case of cold.
Aconite Nap 5 CH if relieved by heat.
Bryonia 7 CH in case of aggravation with minimal movements.
Belladonna 5 CH if the pain gets worse on touch or vibration.
Kalium iodatum 9 H if sciatica worsens with heat and/or immobility.
Sciatica, ineffective treatments and / or to avoid
There are misconceptions about the treatment of sciatica. Here are the treatments to avoid:
- Strict bed rest does not improve sciatica.
- Wearing a rigid corset has no positive action.
- Vertebral tractions have been extensively studied and their effectiveness is described by specialists as « very unlikely ».
- Vertebral manipulations should be avoided because of the risk of neurological damage in the event of a herniated disc.
- Systemic, oral, or injectable corticosteroid medications are no more effective than a placebo.
- Muscle relaxant drugs not only are not effective, but they expose to adverse effects.
And if you had sciatica, you suffered! We must think about preventing recurrences of sciatica.
