Self Massage for Sciatic Pain
As a freelance writer, I spend a lot of time sitting down. When I sit down for too long too many days in a row, I get a terrible nervy pain in my hip that radiates down my leg. When I have this pain it’s difficult for me to do much of anything. I can’t walk and I can’t sit down. I’m only comfortable standing still or lying down. Luckily, I’m a massage therapist. When I’m stupid enough to allow myself to get to this painful state, I know what to do to stop it.
Sciatic pain is characterized by pain, numbness and tingling in the lower back, buttocks and down the legs. It is caused by tension in the muscles surrounding the sciatic nerve. When the gluts and piriformis (a small muscle beneath the gluts) are too tight they impinge on the sciatic nerve causing these systems.
In my previous post about self massage, I explained trigger point therapy. The tension experienced in the gluts and piriformis is usually caused by trigger points that can be treated using trigger point therapy. Use the tennis ball method I explain in the trigger point therapy post to treat your low back and gluts. Tightness in the front of your thighs can also contribute to tension in the gluts and piriformis. Once you finish your tennis ball trigger point therapy treatment, massage your thighs with deep kneading strokes and do some simple stretches to help loosen them up. I also recommend buying the The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief
Keeping moving also helps sciatic pain. Try not to sit down for more than an hour at a time. Go for walks. I had a friend who had terrible sciatic pain. She went on a trip to Europe, initially dreading all of the walking she’d have to do. She took it slowly, but she was walked everyday. By the end of her trip her pain was gone. Our bodies were designed to move around. Staying sedentary causes muscle dysfunction. An active life is a healthy life.
Photo by aloshbennett
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