2 Truths About Treating Your Sciatica That You Need to Know

Are your sciatica symptoms, like searing pain in your calf or numbness in your foot, acting up? These two truths can help you make informed decisions when it comes to treating your sciatica:

1. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment plan

Sciatica is not a medical diagnosis, but rather a symptom of an underlying medical disorder. The six most common causes of sciatica are all problems related to your lower back, such as a lumbar herniated disc and degenerative disc disease. 

See Sciatica Causes

Because there are numerous possible causes of your sciatica, your treatment options may vary significantly from another person. This means that you cannot simply adopt a treatment plan that worked for a friend or family member. 

See Sciatica Treatment

As a general rule, you should not attempt to self-treat your sciatica symptoms before consulting with your doctor—as she or he can provide a proper diagnosis and then propose an appropriate treatment plan. 

See The Truth About Sciatica

2. Exercise is typically an essential component of any treatment plan 

If you’re like most people, you find it difficult to keep active after a severe flare-up of sciatica. But the truth is that prolonged inactivity can make your sciatic pain worse. For example, if you avoid proper exercise your lower back muscles can become deconditioned, which in turn may place additional stress around the location of your sciatic nerve roots.

See Sciatica First Aid: Exercise for Long-Term Pain Relief

Most people who suffer from sciatica can benefit from an exercise program that incorporates stretching, strengthening, and low-impact aerobic exercises. Additionally, it’s important to keep up your exercise routine after your symptoms have dissipated to avoid future flare-ups. 

See Hamstring Stretching Exercises for Sciatica Pain Relief

As mentioned above, do not begin an exercise treatment plan before consulting with your doctor—as the types of exercises you should perform are dependent in part on the underlying cause of your symptoms. 

See Sciatica Exercises for Sciatica Pain Relief

I hope both of the above truths will help you, in consultation with your doctor, form an effective treatment plan to combat your sciatica symptoms. 

Watch: Sciatica Treatment Video 

Learn more:

What You Need to Know About Sciatica

Types of Sciatic Nerve Pain

Call 636-916-0660 to speak to our doctors about helping you further with sciatica and other health conditions.  ABChiropractic Family & Wellness of St. Charles, 63303, is the home of fast pain relief and wellness for the entire family.

3 Common Sleep Mistakes

Often times, figuring out why you are struggling to sleep at night can be a process of trial and error. To aid you in this process, here are 3 common mistakes that may be disrupting your sleep:

1. Overstimulation before bedtime 

If you are like most people, your workday doesn’t end when you leave the office. You are constantly checking emails, responding to calls, and reviewing slides right up until your bedtime—which can lead to overstimulation. 

Additionally, you may overstimulate yourself by watching television shows with violence and/or horror elements, by reading the news, or by getting into an argument. 

See Additional Factors That Affect Sleep Comfort

Engaging in these activities close to your bedtime may seem like no big deal, but this overstimulation within 1 hour of your bedtime can significantly disrupt your sleep.

My suggestion is that you avoid all electronics within 1 hour of your bedtime. In place of your electronics, establish a nightly routine that focuses on relaxation. As part of practicing good sleep hygiene, you may take a warm bath, read a book, or knit and/or crotchet.

2. Staying in bed too long

This mistake may surprise you, but staying in bed too long can make it harder to fall asleep. Here is how this mistake commonly plays out: 

• You lie down to sleep, but your anxious thoughts, or perhaps your chronic pain, keeps you awake.
• After 20 to 30 minutes, you still can’t sleep—so now you begin to worry about falling asleep.
• You can’t force yourself to fall asleep. Instead, your worries makes it harder to sleep; and you end up lying in bed hour after hour.

See Psychological Techniques, Sleep Environment, and Better Sleep

The simple solution to staying in bed too long is to get out of bed if you can’t fall asleep after 20 to 30 minutes.

Instead of worrying, try engaging in a soothing activity until you feel sleepy, then you can return to bed. If you find that you are unable to fall asleep on a regular basis, make sure to speak with your doctor—as she or he can help you identify the factors that are keeping you awake. 

See Mattress Guidelines for Sleep Comfort

3. Inconsistent sleep schedule

You lead a busy life—so you likely try to get sleep whenever you can. For example, you may only get 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night during the week, so to make up for it you sleep as much as possible on the weekends. Or perhaps you don’t have a set bedtime, so one night you go to bed at 10 p.m., and the next night at 1 a.m.

An inconsistent sleep schedule can wreak havoc on your ability to both fall asleep and stay asleep. So your best bet when it comes to getting good sleep is to establish a regular time for both going to bed at night and waking up in the morning. 

This means that if you struggle to fall asleep one night you should still wake up at your decided time the following morning. Furthermore, you should also try to wake up at the same time on the weekends as you do during your work week.

See Psychological Approaches for Insomnia

If you are constantly making any of the above sleep mistakes, you can begin by cutting one mistake out of your life at a time. As you do so, you are likely to find that you wake up feeling more refreshed and ready for your day. 

Call ABChiropractic Family & Wellness, The Fast Pain Relief Center in St. Charles, MO at 636-916-0660 for further assistance with your health and back pain.  We are here to help!