Nearly everyone experiences back pain on occasion, just merely an unlucky few e'er have to endure the agonizing pain of sciatica. The sciatic nerve stretches downwards the lower dorsum region, down the dorsum of the legs to the ankles and feet. Annihilation that puts pressure level on the nerve—a herniated spinal disk, a bone spur, or spinal malalignment—can result in sharp, shooting pains in the buttocks or legs. A herniated disk is the most common cause of sciatica among immature, active adults. This status occurs when the outer wall of the disk, which normally functions every bit a shock absorber between the vertebrae, becomes torn, and the inner cushioning material pushes into the spinal canal, where information technology compresses a nerve root.

Sciatica tends to exist short-lived, but sometimes it persists for years. Fifty-fifty simple daily activities—like bending over, sneezing, or having a bowel movement—tin trigger attacks. Once the nerve has been irritated or damaged, the pain can persist even when you're lying withal. Because and so many things can crusade sciatica, and because the nerve can exist permanently damaged without prompt handling, it'due south essential to see a physician at the first sign of symptoms. Surgery is sometimes required, but sciatica treatment can normally exist managed with a combination of medications and home care. Hither are a few ways to terminate sciatica hurting and protect the nervus from additional damage.

Water ice Information technology Chop-chop

At the first sign of hurting, apply a cold compress (a pocket-sized bag of ice cubes wrapped in a sparse cloth) to the lower back for xv to twenty minutes at a time, every 2 to iii hours. Keep it cold for 24 to 48 hours. Cold reduces inflammation and helps prevent painful muscle spasms, says Andrew J. Cole, MD. The easiest approach is to utilize a gel pack, available at sporting appurtenances and medical supply stores. The packs remain flexible fifty-fifty after they're chilled in the freezer. They mold themselves to the contours of your lower back, putting the cold correct where you need it. In a compression, you tin can even utilize a bag of frozen vegetables. Wrap either one in a thin towel first to protect your skin.

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Employ A Heating Pad

After applying cold for a day or two, switch to heat, advises John J. Triano, DC, PhD. Employ a hot-water canteen or a heating pad to your lower back for xv minutes at a time. Repeat the treatment every hour, and proceed doing it as long every bit information technology seems to help. Heat relaxes muscles and helps prevent painful spasms. It also increases circulation and helps flush hurting-causing toxins from around the nerve. No thing how much better rut makes you experience, don't apply it for more than 15 minutes at a time. "Applying oestrus for longer can result in rebound swelling, which will make the hurting worse afterwards," says Triano.

Take Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

When you lot first feel the hurting of sciatica, accept aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Cole advises. They inhibit the trunk'southward production of prostaglandins, inflammatory chemicals that increase pain and swelling. Take the medications four times daily, following label instructions. If aspirin or ibuprofen upset your stomach, it'due south fine to take acetaminophen (Tylenol). Only keep in mind that information technology mainly works equally a pain reliever. It has little effect on inflammation. "I usually recommend naproxen," says Triano. "Information technology's a good anti-inflammatory and is somewhat less probable than aspirin or ibuprofen to cause stomach upset." (Here's more tips for sciatica pain relief.)

Go For A Swim

Or but walk in water. The combination of warm water and gentle exercise will often loosen muscles and help relieve spasms and pain. Plus, water supports the body, which may relieve painful pressure on the back. "Pond and aquatic exercises are among the best rehabilitation tools available," says John G. Heller, MD. It is peculiarly constructive for people who find other types of exercise initially besides painful.

Near health clubs offer aquatics classes, he notes, and local arthritis associations often sponsor aquatics classes at customs centers or YMCAs. The movements used in the classes are perfect for those with a history of back pain or sciatica, says Heller. Pond isn't recommended at the height of an assault, simply information technology's fine once the pain diminishes somewhat, Heller says. Information technology's also a expert preventive strategy for those who have had sciatica in the past. (Hither are more ideal sciatica exercises.)

Walk If It'southward Comfy

Walking is ane of the best exercises for relieving and preventing sciatica. Information technology keeps muscles limber and improves circulation throughout the body, including the expanse of the damaged nerve. If yous're in the acute stage of sciatica and walking causes sharp, stabbing pains, don't do information technology, Triano says. "Merely if you've had the hurting for more than a few days and it's mainly a dull, agonized feeling, information technology'south important to gently push through the discomfort with walking or other forms of gentle exercise." (Hither are the incredible results yous get from walking daily.)

Strengthen Your Trunk Muscles

Also called the pelvic girdle, these are the muscles that surroundings and support the spine. "The bones crisis is a good do for strengthening the muscles," says Cole. Crunches are easy to do. Lie on your back with your knees bent at nearly a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor, your artillery at your sides. Using your upper abdominal muscles, raise your head and shoulders off of the flooring. Your arms should be extended out in front. And then lower your shoulders to the flooring in a ho-hum, controlled movement. Yous don't want to raise your shoulders more than an inch or 2, because that overstrains the musculus that links the lumbar spine to the legs and increases tension on the lower dorsum, Cole says.

Become A Massage

It won't opposite underlying nerve or disk damage, but it can reduce muscle spasms and increase flexibility. "Massage makes people feel meliorate, and that can permit their rehabilitation to advance," says Cole.

Let Your Legs Do The Work

Whether you currently accept sciatica or have had it in the past, proper trunk mechanics—the ways yous move every day—are essential. Bending from the waist, for example, is about the worst thing you lot can exercise. If yous're doing anything more strenuous than picking up a sock, kneel or squat and employ your leg muscles to push back up. Bending tin can trigger sciatica because information technology puts tremendous strain on the lower back, says Cole.

Hold Things Close To Your Torso

Whether you're carrying a handbag of groceries or a laundry basket, hold it as close to your body as possible, Cole advises. Holding weight close to your trunk takes some of the force per unit area off the lower spine.

Support Your Lower Back

Sciatica can take weeks or even months to ameliorate. In the meantime, giving your back extra support—place a pillow or a rolled-up towel behind you when you're sitting—reduces pain and helps the injured area heal more than speedily, says Triano. Fifty-fifty better are pillows that inflate automatically with the turn of a valve. Available at sporting goods stores and stores that specialize in dorsum care, they let you to easily change the compactness every 15 to 20 minutes. "They're a superb way of inexpensively minimizing back pain," says Triano. Just don't think of back supports equally a substitute for exercise and stiff supporting muscles of the back, says Heller. Such muscles derived through disciplined practise become your internal back support.

Accept Frequent Breaks

Sitting is surprisingly hard on the lower dorsum, especially when the sciatic nerve is inflamed and irritated. In fact, sitting without a back support can put about twice as much pressure on the spine as standing. "If you take sciatica, your enemy is a prolonged, static posture," Triano says. "The elastic properties of your tissues are used upwardly in nigh 20 minutes. After that, you're going to feel increased stress on the area." If your chore requires a lot of sitting, requite your back a break and get upwardly every 15 to xx minutes, or whenever your back starts feeling tense or tired. Walk around for a few minutes. Stretch. Give your muscles a run a risk to unwind earlier sitting back downward over again. "Continue this in mind during lengthy machine or airplane trips, too," notes Heller.

Put A Human foot Up

The back naturally has a slight curve, merely when y'all're standing apartment-footed, the curve is accentuated, which tin can beal a sensitive sciatic nervus. A more "relaxed" posture affords slightly more room for the nerves. "I of the best things you can exercise when you're standing is to alternately prop ane foot up so the other," says Triano. Elevating i human foot slightly increases the "complimentary" space effectually the sciatic nerve, and shifting from one foot to the other on a regular basis helps maintain elasticity in the spinal disks and surrounding tissues, he explains. Whenever possible, remainder your pes on a curt stool or a stride when standing. At the grocery store, residue i foot on the lower role of the shopping cart. On the street, utilise a curb or the base of a lamppost. Many people with sciatica find that elevating one foot even a few inches is often enough to temporarily eliminate the pain.

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Stay Out Of The Motorcar

Apart from the fact that most car seats are notoriously difficult on the lower back, cars vibrate at four to five cycles per second—a frequency that can damage disks, increase musculus inflammation or spasms, and generally increase strain on the sciatic nerve. Until your back is improve, spend as little fourth dimension in the automobile as possible. Even when your pain is gone, it's a skillful idea to limit driving fourth dimension to 2 hours daily.

Attempt Stretching And Flexibility Exercises

They are among the best ways to reduce the inflammation and muscle spasms that often accompany sciatica, says Triano. Anybody responds differently to exercises. Some people do best with extension exercises, which include lying facedown, arching your back, and raising upwardly on your elbows. Others require flexion movements—for example, lying on your dorsum and bringing your knees to your chest. You'll have to experiment a bit to discover what works best for yous.

"Stretching exercises encourage motion of the spine and associated joints, muscles, and ligaments, which tin can forestall adhesions or stiffness from scar tissue formation later an injury," says Heller. "If the exercises brand you feel meliorate, continue doing them. But they should never brand pain worse or crusade it to radiate down one or both legs. If they do crusade hurting, information technology's the wrong do for you and you should seek professional advice." (More ideas for helpful sciatica stretches.)

Get Plenty Of Sleep

It'southward difficult to do when yous're hurting, only studies have shown that the body undergoes much of its healing during sleep. If pain is keeping you awake, try elevating your knees with a small pillow: It takes some of the pressure level off the nervus, says Triano. If you normally sleep on your side, curl up and put a pillow between your knees. (Attempt these 20 tips to slumber better.)

If You Smoke, Endeavor To Quit

Cigarette smoke weakens the spinal disks and slows recovery if y'all're experiencing sciatica. If you lot demand surgery for sciatica, smoking increases the risk that the operation won't be successful. "Some surgeons won't operate unless patients quit smoking," says Cole.

What The Doctor Does To Treat Sciatica

Martha Howard, MD, used this do when she had sciatica, and it kept her sister-in-law, who'south in her seventies, pain-free for a decade. Lie on your back on a bed—if you accept a business firm mattress—or on the floor. Bend your knees, and place your feet apartment on the bed. Slowly extend your right leg, keeping your heel down, until information technology has reached its full length. Your heel should slide forth the surface of the bed equally you extend your leg. Practise not elevator or raise your leg throughout the exercise. You shouldn't experience a stretch or strain. Slowly bring your correct leg back to the starting position and echo the move with your left leg. Do ten on each side, over time adding 2 at time to reach 30 on each side.

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When To See A Medico

About the simply good thing concerning sciatica is that the pain is usually temporary. It often begins to experience amend within 4 to 5 days, and most people will be well on the way to recovery within six weeks. "There'due south no need to panic if you go sciatica, merely it can be extraordinarily painful," says Heller. Nonetheless, information technology's important to see a doctor, he adds. For one affair, you'll probably need medication to control the hurting. You'll as well want to be certain that you aren't risking permanent nervus impairment. One of the nearly serious warning signs is a loss of muscle function—your foot is dragging, for example. Even more serious is a loss of bowel or bladder command. If y'all accept any one of these symptoms, don't look to come across your regular md, Heller advises. Go straight to an emergency room.

Panel Of Advisors

Andrew J. Cole, MD, is a clinical professor in the section of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Washington Medical Heart in Seattle and president and medical director of Northwest Spine and Sports Physicians, PC, in Bellevue, Washington.

John G. Heller, MD, is a professor of orthopedics surgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Martha Howard, Doctor, is medical director of Health Assembly of Chicago, an integrative medicine middle.

John J. Triano, DC, PhD, is a professor of research at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and associate professor of rehabilitation scientific discipline at McMaster Academy in Ontario, Canada. His doctorate is in spine biomechanics. He specializes in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of neck and dorsum disorders.