Help and Advice for Managin Sciatica and Back Pain

If you experience a shooting feeling or burning sensation along the spine, its quite possible you are suffering from sciatica. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body, which runs from the spinal cord, through the buttocks and along the back of each leg.
Usually, sciatica is experienced by people with a damaged or injured disc often called prolapsed or slipped disc. A slipped disc is actually not a disc that has slipped, but has herniated allowing the softer internal material to squeeze through to aggravate the roots of the sciatic nerve along the spinal cord. Often sciatica can be experienced by women during pregnancy or child-birth, and also through unstable lifting techniques while lifting heavy objects or moving furniture, or through stress.
Sciatic symptoms can vary from mild discomfort to extremely painful, with a common description being that of experiencing shooting pains running down the spine, buttocks and legs. Some people also experience pins and needles, or numbness in their feet and legs, along with a general feeling of weakness.
Sometimes, sciatica can be a temporary condition that can ease with time, or in the case of pregnancy related sciatica, can disappear once the woman has given birth, and her body has returned to normal.
Some relief can be gained by laying on your back on the floor for 20 minutes, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, raise your head off the floor with a couple of pillows or a telephone directory.
Aromatherapy massage using lavender and chamomile essential oils can also help relieve the discomfort.
As with other back problems, a warm bath with lavender oil can be most beneficial to the sufferer, as can some old fashioned remedies such as rubbing half a lemon over the affected area, or drinking celery tea, or elderberry wine.
Keeping your nerves and bones healthy is very important if you want to prevent further bouts of sciatica. Fish bones are a great source of natural calcium. Try to choose fresh or tinned fish where you can eat up the bones too.
Magnesium may be helpful in slowing down the process of bone loss. Try taking a supplement such as calcium pills or powder, adding brewers yeast, or eating foods that contain or are high in magnesium such as nuts and soyabeans.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, so you will be getting extra by eating oily fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, which you are also eating to get the calcium from the bones as previously mentioned above. Vitamin D is not called the sunshine vitamin for nothing, and by far the easiest and the best way of getting a dose is by taking a brisk walk in the sunshine. Vitamin D is produced in the skin as a natural reaction to sunlight, and the body absorbs most of its Vitamin D in this way.
Increasing your intake of boron can be extremely helpful. Boron is a trace mineral, which can be found in plants. Recent research has indicated that post-menopausal women who increase their intake of boron can prevent calcium loss and bone degeneration, so tucking into extra serving of organically grow fruit and root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, beetroot, turnips and parsnips can help keep your bones healthy. (Good quality soil is rich in boron, so make sure you buy organically grown wherever possible).
If you find that your sciatica symptoms become worse, or do not improve with time, then visit your GP or physician to make sure there are no other underlying causes.
M Newbold is a prolific writer who loves writing about family matters, health and fitness, food and nutrition, alternative health, natrual remedies, and general well-being. For a comprehensive guide about managing Sciatica and other back problems by a team of experts in back pain care and management, visit: http://www.expertbackpain.weebly.com or www.backpaincompendium.com