Running: An Option For Treating Sciatic Nerve Pain

By Patricia | August 15, 2010
Running And Sciatica

Running and sciatica may mean different things for different people. This is because running can be both a cause and a treatment for sciatica. Sciatica is basically referred to a painful condition which results in the pinching or added pressure on the sciatic nerve which is the largest nerve in the body that runs from the base of the spinal cord right up to ones feet. Sometimes sciatica may occur if a vertebral disk bulges out of place and pinches the sciatic nerve which may result in a mild or even severe throbbing of the leg and the back.

Running and sciatica a treatment for sciatica is a logical next step to follow for those patients who have enjoyed a considerable amount of relief from sciatic pain by walking. Running also tends to benefit sciatica because it works the same muscles that walking does but will provide an even greater athletic challenge and an increased level of athletic workout. Running as a treatment for sciatica should always be performed on a suitable surface to minimize the pounding and doctors would typically advise running on wooden surfaces, tracks or even along the beach closer to the waterline. Many a times regular runners may also experience sciatica which they may associate with their running. This may be true in some cases however in others the pain associated with running and sciatica is mostly psychosomatic in nature and may actually be connected to certain repressed emotional issues which not be connected to any physical activity let alone running. In such cases, the individual will be advised to go in for knowledge therapy which will help them correctly identify the actual cause of their pain and thereafter get back to running.

Before taking up running as a cure for sciatica one should always consult their doctor and only go ahead with it once they get the doctors approval. However even then, individuals taking up running to address sciatica should remember that running only provides temporary pain from sciatica which is mostly because of the deprivation of oxygen and is not a permanent cure for the same. In some patients if the sciatic pain is unrelenting or severe to the extent that they have difficulty walking as well, then they have to undergo disk surgery or have a special enzyme injected into the disk to cause it to shrink and thereby reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve.

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