Sciatica is a severe nerve pain that affects about 3 million U.S. citizens per year. People often experience it with there are ruptured discs in their body, or when there is pressure on the nerve from surrounding muscles and nerves. The pain can interfere with day-to-day activists, making it difficult to go through a day without pain. Taking medicines, stretching, chiropractors and acupuncture are many of the different ways you can relieve sciatica, but there are ways to prevent it from happening. By taking these steps to prevent sciatica, you can lessen your worry about back pain, and not worry about what treatment option you will want to use if you experience sciatica.
Many people who experience sciatica are busy, on the go type of people who never stop until their work is done. This type of behavior can cause lower back pain that leads to sciatica. If you have an office job and have to sit in a chair all day, you are putting strains on your back that can only lead to pain later on down the line. If you have to sit in a chair all day, try and take a quick 3-5 minute walking break every 30 minutes or so. Take a short walk around the office, do some stretching, or even climb some stairs if they are available to you. Taking these breaks will take the strain off of your back, making it less likely that you will have sciatic pain in the future.
Regular Exercise:
Regular exercise will greatly help stretch out your muscles so they do not become tight and create sciatic nerve pain. You can do exercises that do not put a lot of strain on your lower back, such as walking, swimming, or riding a bike. Your joints will have healthy movement on a regular basis, and you will be come more flexible over time. Regular exercise will help strengthen your muscles and help prevent joints from injury.
Strengthening Your Core:
Strengthening your core is another preventative measure to take in order to avoid sciatica. If you have a strong core, you are using muscles in your body effectively which reduces your risk of injury, and helps you recover quicker from previous injuries. It really helps reduce injuries in the lower back, which is the place where sciatic nerve pain occurs, so maintaining a strong core can really help eliminate chances of experiencing sciatica.
Proper Posture:
Proper posture is not something many of us practice. Sitting hunched over is simply more comfortable than sitting up or standing up straight all of the time. However, sitting and standing straight can help your muscles not tense up, and will help maintain good mobility. It will also prevent further back injury and posture issues later in life.
Sleeping Positions:
Everyone has their favorite sleeping position, but if you want to prevent sciatica from happening, there are two sleeping positions that you should try. One is sleeping on your back, and putting a pillow under your knees. Another is sleeping on your side with a pillow in-between your knees. If you are not used to these sleeping positions, try them out for a few days at a time to get more used to them, and try and use them as regularly as possible to prevent sciatica.
