I was a freshman in the Dance Department at The University of Illinois when I found myself stuck on the ballet studio floor unable to move because of an extreme pain in my lower back. My teachers and classmates tried to help me up, but the pain was so bad that I had to be rushed to the nearest hospital.
I had been dealing with this back pain for a while before I got to this point, doing as much as I could to deal with it. I had been to several physicians, to see my physical therapist, and to our campus medical center to get some answers, but nothing they did or said really helped because the pain that I was feeling went deeper than I was able to describe.
Sciatica is tough to diagnose and even tougher to reach. It isn’t necessarily a medical condition (which is why it may have been so difficult for me to get answers), but a symptom of an underlying condition having to do with a number of back problems, including herniated disks, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and in more rare cases can be caused by a tumor or disease.
Someone dealing with sciatica, as a result, would experience inflammation and a shooting, sometimes numbing, pain down the leg, which starts at the lower back and travels through the hips and buttocks. The pain can be mild, infrequent and bothersome, but it can also be excruciating, constant and crippling. The pain that one would experience is triggered by the sciatic nerve being irritated or compressed at its point of origin, in the lumbar spine.
The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the body and is made up of many nerve endings the start at the lower back and combine at a meeting point. The sciatic nerve travels through the leg and branches out to innervate the thigh, calf, foot, and toes.
Besides pain relievers and massages, a few natural remedies that experts recommend are:
1.) Go for acupuncture sessions
This Chinese technique is reportedly very effective in resolving sciatica. It is said to stimulate the tissues, getting the body to release endorphins, serotonin, and other beneficial substances involved in nerve signaling to bring about immediate change. Inflammation is reduced by activating immunomodulatory pathways. At the same, it is credited with increasing lumbar circulation and promoting healing of the affected nerve.
2. Try Rolfing
This is a technique called ‘Structural Integration’ developed by Ida P. Rolf to resolve deep-lying problems by manipulating the connective tissue layer called fascia. This ‘skin beneath the skin’ envelops the whole body, so stimulating it is claimed to affect our energy field and bring about healing.
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Whether or not you subscribe to this alternative ideology, often branded as pseudoscience, many people with sciatica claim that it helped them. It’s a set of 10 sessions, so if you have and access to a rolfer, it’s not a bad idea to try if it works for you.
3.) Wear abdominal support
Specially designed lumbosacral belts can offer extra support for the lower back area. Use it whenever you’re engaged in any activity that requires bending and lifting weights.
Sciatica doesn’t often occur before the age of 20, although we see with my situation it is possible. It’s most likely to develop in middle-aged people so age-related changes in the spine can be a risk factor.
Other risk factors include obesity, diabetes, and sedentary lifestyles. Even your occupation can put you at risk if it requires a great deal of physical exertion and heavy lifting while practicing poor body mechanics.
Because sciatica can be a symptom of a greater problem, doctors will often opt to fix the causing condition. It’s rare that someone dealing with sciatica will have to get surgery and most cases will go away over time, although it is possible for the symptom to be recurring.
Self-care is usually the way to prevent and heal the symptom. Regular exercise and regeneration are recommended. Along with that, so is maintaining good posture throughout the day and practicing good body mechanics (lifting with your legs, taking breaks from standing for long periods of time, avoiding lifting and twisting simultaneously, and even the way you sit and stand matters).
If self-care measures aren’t working, you may want to look into other options depending on how severe and frequent the pain. When the pain causes leg weakness, lasts longer than a week and gets progressively worse, or there’s a loss of control of the bladder and bowels, it may be time to seek medical attention.
Jasmine Danielle is the Associate Editor of BlackDoctor.org. She received her BFA in Dance Education & Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has since done work as a certified fitness & wellness educator, blogger, dancer, and designer.
