Bottom Line:
As we discuss how to prevent sciatica pain with our sciatica patients, we often notice that many of them will make the comment that they don’t know how they hurt their back when the pain started. If you know the causes of sciatica you know this is a logical statement to make.

It’s easy to understand how lifting a heavy object or sustaining a forceful impact of some kind or simply moving in an awkward position could result in an injury to your back. The pain that comes with that injury tells you that you could have pinched a nerve and that’s why you’re experiencing sciatica symptoms. Easy to understand.

But, what we’re about to tell you as we learn about how to prevent sciatica pain naturally may surprise you. Research has shown that too much sitting may be one of the most common reasons you find yourself experiencing sciatica pain. This is also completely understandable.

As the leading sciatica pain specialist in Lavaca County, we’ve seen the very real impact sitting too much has on our patients. Here’s why.

Why it Matters:
When you spend hours per day sitting down, the muscles that support your low back aren’t regularly activated, so they will start to atrophy or weaken. This can lead to imbalances in your back that result in increased pressure and stress on your spine.

Without the support of the stabilizing muscles your spine relies on to keep your vertebrae, discs, and nerves in balance and aligned, you’re more likely to injure your back. This means you can injure your back from lifting lightweight items, such as a pencil, or from just bending over.

Fortunately, how to prevent sciatica pain is probably even easier than you think. We like to say “motion is lotion” for your body. When it comes to how to prevent sciatica pain, movement-based care is at the top of the list. Stretching, for example, before and after any physical activity can help you improve your flexibility and reduce your chances of experiencing a number of avoidable injuries.

Modern research also indicates that consistent exercise can stop or even reverse the effects of too much sitting. Incorporating just 30 minutes of exercise each day can help strengthen the supporting muscles around your spinal column to help prevent future episodes of sciatica.

Other recent studies tell us that receiving periodic spinal adjustments can help in both the correction and prevention of conditions that can cause sciatica pain. In fact, the top medical research journal SPINE found that maintained chiropractic care can evaluate, detect, and potentially prevent future disc problems and low back pain episodes.

In other words, chiropractic is the answer to how to prevent sciatica pain and the recurrence of symptoms.

When most people think of chiropractic care, they typically picture “getting their back and neck cracked.” While it is true that chiropractic adjustments are a big part of the chiropractic treatment of sciatica, we actually use a variety of treatment methods to address sciatic nerve impingement and pain.

As chiropractors, we take a whole-body (holistic) approach to health and healing.
We combine techniques like adjustments, myofascial release, stretching, exercise and nutritional advice to create a wellness plan unique to each individual.

Next Steps:
We’ve seen our patients enjoy significant relief from sciatica pain and improved mobility with continued chiropractic care. Maintaining your body with movement-based care is key to prevent sciatica pain. Even if time is tight, taking just a few minutes every hour to get up and walk around can go a long way to reducing sitting induced muscle weakness and tightness.

Starting small is better than not starting at all, and as days become weeks, months, and years, the exercise you do now will pay huge dividends down the road to keep you happy, healthy, and pain-free. If you have struggled with recurrent or chronic sciatica pain, you’re not limited to invasive surgical procedures, injections, or prescription pain medications to find relief.

You deserve better. Schedule an appointment with a holistically focused sciatica pain specialist in Lavaca County like us. We’ll work together to pinpoint the root cause of your pain and come up with a plan that can help you get and stay out of pain for years to come.

You deserve nothing less!

Science Source:
(1) Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long-Term Outcome? SPINE. 2011.