Acupuncture for sciatica
Sciatica or sciatic pain can be debilitating and can seriously affect your day to day life. Usually affecting one side of the body and varying from patient to patient, sciatica has become hard to diagnose, making it difficult for patients to know when to turn when experiencing symptoms of sciatica.
How does sciatica start?
It originates in the lower back as this is where the sciatic nerve is. Portions of the nerve then branch out to different areas within the legs and feet, such as your calf and toes. The pain occurs when the nerve is either impinged or compressed within the lower back. It could be the result of an injury or just long-term degeneration of the area. Patients experiences vary depending on where in the back the nerve is being compressed. Often it is around the lower back and into the buttock.
What does sciatica feel like?
The feeling varies from patient to patient, a classic example is a pain that begins in the lower back and travels down the sides of your legs. Regardless of what they do, many patients experience uncomfortable constant pain which can be debilitating. Others experience intermittent pain which can be bought on when a patient is sitting or standing. Sciatic pain has been known to travel down the sides of the legs, whilst others have reported a more shooting pain travelling down the back of their legs. Some patients even experience pain on both the back and sides of their legs.
The difference in pain makes obtaining a diagnosis for sciatica extremely difficult, so if any of the pain above seems familiar, you may want to seek out acupuncture, which has been proven to be highly effective in many cases as well as extremely low risk.
Acupuncture for sciatica
Acupuncture can vastly relieve pain and has proven to be extremely effective. Sciatica is treated by placing acupuncture needles strategically along the lower calf and the ankle as well as the wrist and the forearm. The lower back is targeted first, this is to increase the blood flow in the area as well as promote muscle relaxation. After that, the sciatic nerve itself is targeted. This is aimed at influencing muscle relaxation and promoting blood flow, helping to combat leg pain.
How does acupuncture work?
The needles help to promote pain relief because when they are placed into specific areas of the body, they instantly trigger a nervous system response. It's that response that informs the brain to increase the flow of blood to the area that's affected by the pain, relax the muscles and release your body's natural painkillers such as endorphins and enkephalins. Acupuncture quickly increases the blood flow to the affected areas as well as relaxes the muscles, helping to combat the pain in a safe manner.
If you have been diagnosed with sciatica, or suspect you may have it, be sure to get in touch today and speak with one of our team members. We'll provide you with plenty of information on all our treatments, explaining how they can work to help you overcome sciatic pain.