Conquer Sciatic Pain in Under Ten Minutes a Day | How to Treat Sciatica With Wave5
Sciatica is debilitating to the forty percent of people who experience sciatic pain. It can stunt your life for moments, days, weeks, or years. This painful set of sensations occurs when the root nerves of your spine (near your tailbone) become pinched, impinged, or compressed. These sciatic episodes vary from a dull soreness, numbness, or tingling to feelings of electric shock, throbbing heat, or stabbing pain and usually affect one side of the lower body. Utilizing the Wave5, you can target some or all of the following regions to alleviate your sciatic pain.
Lower Back Sciatic Pain.
If the sciatic nerve is irritated at or around the base of your spine, pain often radiates throughout your lower back. Softening the tissue around your spine provides the nerves a more conducive environment to live. This softening gives the bottom vertebrate and pelvic joints more mobility, and reduces inflammation and pain.
To target lower back sciatic pain, begin with relaxed and breathable pressure at the juncture where the natural curve of your lower back meets your tailbone. When you’ve found your “feel good pressure”, which is somewhere between that feels great and ouch that hurts, follow the movement below.
Hip Sciatic Pain.
Hip pain is one of the more common areas of impingement of the sciatic nerve because a large portion of the nerve rests below the muscles of your posterior hip.
When sciatic pain travels into your hip, target the side of your hip. Follow along the posterior or back crest of your pelvic bone and then down along the edge your tailbone. This relaxes the tissue that surround the sciatic nerve, relieves the glute muscles, and decompresses the spine. As you work through this area, you will find tender spots. When you find a sensitive area, follow the movement in the image below.
Back of the Thigh Sciatic Pain.
When sciatic pain begins to aggravate your upper leg, the source is often from hamstring tightness or stress.
To ease the aches and pains in this region, begin by finding a comfortable pressure at the top of you hamstrings just below your sit bones. Targeting this area tell you what part of the leg— inside, middle, or outside—is most affected by your sciatica. When you find a spot that hurts, follow the image below to target your hamstrings.
Lower Leg and Foot Sciatic Pain.
On the days that your sciatic pain travels to your foot, the tightness or impingement is more often found behind the knee and can also exist around the ankle or in the arch of the foot. With three possible catalysts, we suggest exploring the following three areas: the top of the calf, the bottom of the calf, and the arch of the foot.
Begin with passive pressure (a resting pressure) along the top of your calf muscle below the knee. Use this pressure as a “traction” or “shearing post” (see image below) to stretch the tissue away from your knee. This creates a smooth path for the innervated nerve to travel. If you find a tender area, follow it down to your ankle or heel then give your foot a couple minutes of attention to energize the leg.
Burning, Tingling, Shooting or Heavy Foot Sciatic Pain.
Burning, tingling, shooting or heavy foot sciatic pain can have a number of causes. These sensations usually occur after long bouts of activity, i.e., sports, sitting, standing, lifting, etc. The pattern the muscle experiences is cyclical: the muscles work in a consistent manner, rests, and then tenses and tightens. This tightening can cause a sudden spasm in the soft tissue that then affects the surrounding muscles, joints, and nerves. When this happens, you can either target the tissue by
- beginning at the point where you think the painful sensation originates, or
- beginning at the point where you feel pain closest to your head.
Sciatic pain often travels from the lower back, through the back of the thigh, down through the leg, behind the knee, and into the foot or toes. Injury or trauma can be a catalyst, but most sciatic pain results from years of bending, lifting, or sitting for long stretches. The severity can range from an annoying ache to pain so intense it makes it difficult to walk, sit, stand, or sleep. Target sciatica head on: treat the muscles and soft tissue surrounding that area and you’ll get much needed relief.