If you are experiencing a sharp, shooting pain in your leg or feel like you have a muscle cramp in your leg, you may be experiencing sciatica. Sciatica in Olympia is a symptom, not an actual condition. It is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve in your back. Some people may call this a “pinched nerve.” Some sciatica pain may go away after a couple of weeks, but if the pain persists, see your doctor. A doctor can help determine what is causing the pain and how to treat it.
When you go in to visit the doctor, he or she may ask you a number of questions about your health and health history. They may also do a physical exam and a series of tests to help diagnose the problem. They may want you to do a straight leg raise test. This is where they have you lie down and the doctor will slowly start to raise each leg further and further until you start to feel the pain. This can help the doctor determine where your pain begins and help them pinpoint what nerves are being affected. The doctor may also want to run other tests such as a spinal x-ray or an MRI to look for fractures in the spine or on the disks.
Depending on what the doctor finds, there are several treatment options for people experiencing sciatica in Olympia. For most sciatica, a prescription medication will be prescribed to help alleviate the pain until it eventually just goes away on it’s own. Sometimes a doctor can give cortisone injections into the lower back to help with the pain and swelling.
For more serious sciatica sufferers, physical therapy may be recommended. Physical therapy can help alleviate the pressure on the nerves by doing certain exercises and stretches.
Many people believe in alternative methods to help relieving sciatica pain. Acupuncture and yoga are popular alternative pain relieving methods. Getting a massage is is also a great way to help relieve sciatica.
Once your pain goes away, there are ways to prevent it from happening again in the future. Practice proper lifting techniques. Always bend at your knees, not at the waist when lifting something or picking something up. It’s also a good idea to exercise regularly to help strengthen the muscles in your abdomen and back which help support your spine. If you can, avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. And if you smoke, that could be causing degeneration of your discs which can lead to pinched nerves and sciatica in Olympia.
Sciatica Olympia – If you are experiencing sciatica, talk to your doctor to find out ways you can help alleviate the pain. Residents of Olympia should consult chiropractors at 360 Chiropractic, P.S. offering professional sciatica treatment.
