Understanding the Benefits of Massage Therapy for Sciatica

Do you suffer from sciatica? If so, you should know you’re not alone.

Studies have suggested that up to 40% of the U.S. population will have to deal with sciatica at some point. Doing something as simple as spending long hours sitting at work can cause sciatica to set in.

Sciatica is a condition that affects the sciatic nerve that extends all the way from your lower back down to each of your legs. It can result in numbness, weakness, and even pain.

If you’ve been diagnosed with this condition, you might want to try massage therapy for sciatica. It’s an excellent alternative to over-the-counter pain medications and prescription painkillers.

Today, we’re going to run through some of the top benefits of using massage to treat sciatica. It’ll shed light on why you should take advantage of massage therapy for sciatic nerve pain.

“Can massage therapy help sciatica?”, is a resounding “yes!”. Read on to learn more.

Soothes Muscles

If you’re someone who suffers from sciatica, the muscles in your lower back probably get tight on a regular basis. This tightness can lead to your muscles pressing on some of the nerves in your back, including your sciatic nerve.

When this happens, you’re going to notice that back pain will begin to set in even more than usual. You might even find that it’ll be almost impossible to walk, sit, or even lie down without experiencing discomfort.

A good massage therapist will be able to use massage therapy for sciatica. They can target the muscles that might be tightening up on you and causing you pain. They should be able to reduce this tightness in the muscles surrounding your sciatic nerve within just a single massage session.

Improves Circulation

When the muscles in your lower back are tight, it’s going to result in you having to deal with more than just pain. The circulation in these muscles might also suffer, and it could lead to metabolic waste getting stuck in your muscles for long stretches of time.

If this metabolic waste isn’t able to move out of your muscles, you might find that they’ll feel very fatigued. The only way to put your body in a position to remove this waste is by having your muscles massaged by a trained professional.

A massage therapist can improve the circulation in your muscles to get rid of metabolic waste once and for all. This improvement in circulation will also help to deliver the nutrients that your muscles need to stay loose and healthy.

Eliminates Stress

Tight back muscles are going to do more than just cause you pain and discomfort. They’re also going to make your whole body feel stressed out before long.

When your back muscles get tight, your body will send a signal to your brain letting it know that you’re in danger. This will lead to your brain sending out a stress hormone called cortisol that may unnecessarily trigger your body’s fight or flight response and leave you feeling stressed out.

When you use massage therapy for sciatica, it’ll loosen up your back muscles and eliminate a lot of the stress you feel in the process. In this way, you can take care of your sciatic nerve pain and promote better mental health at the same time.

Increases Endorphins

At the end of a massage session, it isn’t uncommon for people to feel so much better than they did before it. This is because massage therapy will encourage your body to release endorphins.

Endorphins are feel-good hormones that are released following things like workouts, sex, and even delicious meals. They’ll make you feel great overall for at least a short period of time.

You’ll notice a spike in endorphins every time you get done with a massage. It’ll reduce the pain you previously felt and help you get around much easier than you did before.

Reduces the Need for NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs, can really come in handy when you have sciatica. You should be able to do away with at least some of the pain that you feel from sciatica by taking NSAIDs when the pain gets to be intense.

But if you get into the habit of taking NSAIDs almost every day, it can do even more harm than sciatica can. Taking NSAIDs can lead to health problems like:

• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Seizures
• Low blood pressure
• Kidney issues
• And more

In some instances, you might even find you’ll have an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke when you take NSAIDs too often.

Rather than relying on NSAIDs all the time, you should try using massage therapy for sciatica pain and see how it can help. It might be just what the doctor ordered because it’ll decrease your dependence on NSAIDs, while still providing you with the comfort you’re looking for.

Try Massage Therapy for Sciatica Today

Living with sciatica can be very painful for many people. Some will have massive amounts of trouble performing simple tasks like getting out of bed in the morning.

You might not be able to eliminate the symptoms of sciatica altogether, but you can make them a whole lot less noticeable by using massage therapy.. You just need to find a masseuse who knows how to massage for sciatic nerve pain.

Would you like to try out massage therapy for sciatica? Book an appointment online or give us a call at (402) 384-8400 to benefit from some of these amazing results.