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Dr. Santosh Yadav (M.D.)
Consultant Homeopath |
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In sciatica there is pain in one or both the buttocks; the pain usually extending down the leg and may reach upto the feet.
The pain occurs due to compression of the sciatic nerve (the longest peripheral nerve) which runs down from the buttocks to the entire length of the legs.
The pain may affect a part of the sciatic nerve or the entire length of the sciatic nerve. |
| Causes of Sciatica |
Compression of the sciatic nerve i.e. pressure on the sciatic nerve due to:
Slipped intervertebral disc.
Sleeping on very soft mattress.
Poor posture.
Muscular strain.
Obesity i.e. being over-weight.
Prenancy with the fetus in the uterus pressing on the sciatic nerve.
Wearing high heels.
Inflammation of the sciatic nerve due to osteoarthritis. |
| Symptoms of Sciatica |
The pain may affect the entire length of the sciatic nerve or a particular part of the nerve.
The pain may radiate down the buttock to the thigh and down the leg and sometimes going to the foot.
Usually one side is affected but the pain may alternate from side to side or both the sides may also be affected.
Sometimes, the pain is associated with numbness and weakness of the affected part.
The character of pain may be severe, mild, burning, stitching, shooting, piercing, continuous, intermittent and so on. In homeopathy there are different remedies for different types of pain.
Lab Investigations in Sciatica
A doctor confirms the diagnosis of sciatica by doing |
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straight-leg-raising test in which the leg is raised to a 45 degrees angle.
X-ray.
MRI.
CT scan.
Consult a Doctor if
Pain is very severe and debilitating.
Along with pain there is weakness of the leg or foot. It usually indicates that there is some more serious neurological problem.
Osteopathy and Sciatica
In osteopathic treatment for sciatica pressure on sciatic nerve is relieved by soft-tissue massage and positioning.
Home Remedies for Sciatica
Alternate cold and hot fomentation can be tried for 30 minutes 2 to 3 times daily.
Heavy objects should be pushed rather than pulled.
Do not pick up anything heavier than 10 pounds.
The weight of the objects should be taken in your bent legs and arms and not in your back.
During an acute attack sleep with a pillow under the knees.
Prevention of Sciatica
When sitting the height of the chair should be such that the feet are flat on the floor and not crossed. The knees should be a little higher than the hips.
The chair must have a firm back support and one should sit with the back straight against it.
For sleeping a firm mattress should be used. One must sleep on the back or side with knees bent. One must not sleep on the stomach. |
| Homeopathic Treatment of Sciatica |
Homeopathy has many remedies for treating sciatica pain. This is a big number; it is because homeopathy treats symptoms based on individuality of the patient. There are different remedies for different patients depending upon their behaviors, attitudes, mental state, sleeping patterns, lifestyles and of course, the symptoms of the disease. Every patient puts his own stamp on the diseaase so the remedies which would cure them have to be different. One size does not fit all. Homeopathy is tailor-made unlike allopathy which is ready-made giving same remedies to all the patients. If two patients show similar symptoms and one of them is aggressive by nature and the other has a calm temperament, a homeopath will prescribe different remedies for each of them. Another example, if two patients show similar symptoms but one has great thirst for water and the other one is thirstless; this would lead a homeopath to prescripbe different medicines for each of them.
Also, a homeopath tries to cover different symptoms by a single remedy which would cure all the symptoms. For example, if a patient is having sciatica pain and he also complains of pain in the right chest, the homeopath would try to find a single remedy which would cover both the symptoms rather than prescribing different remedies for each complaint. In homeopathy we try to find single remedy to cover the whole patient. That is what holistic treatment is all about. But nowadays homeopaths may use combination of remedies to achieve fast results without any side effects.
The preparation and effectiveness of dosage is another significant aspect that needs to be understood. A 30C potency is less diluted than 200C potency. But the interesting part is that the higher the dilution the more effective the remedy is believed to be. Actually, a homeopath tries to match the potency of the remedy with the intensity of disease and also susceptibililty of the patient. The mode of preparation of homeopathic remedies is believed to be a contributing factor to their effectiveness. After each dilution, the mixture is vigorously shaken for a specified period of time, which is believed to help in the development of curative properties of remedies.
It is nearly impossible to list all the homeopathic remedies for sciatica as each remedy carries a rider which explains the kind of patients that it is most suitable for. It is recommended to consult a professional homeopath for prescription who would analyze your symptoms and then suggest the best suited remedies.
Homeopathy is one of the most important therapy for sciatica pain and is very effective. Pain killers only suppress the pain and do not treating the basic cause of sciatica which only homeopathy cures. Also use of pain killers lead to development of liver and kidney damage causing many undesirable signs and symptoms. The reality is that homeopathy has produced excellent results in sciatica treatment and is extensively used in India. |
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