Patients with sciatica often reduce their activities because of fear of pain, which is not conducive to the treatment of the disease. Patients should follow the principle of “exercise as much as possible and in moderation” to exercise, especially for the affected lower limbs. Slow walking, jogging, ball games can be performed, and special gymnastics are even more beneficial.
Recumbent gymnastics: patient supine position, alternate flexion of the leg, and then take turns to straighten the two legs, followed by upward alternate leg lift. At the beginning, the lower limb on the affected side can be lifted at an angle smaller than the lower limb on the healthy side, and after continuous exercise, the lower limb on the affected side can gradually increase the lifting angle.
Sitting gymnastics: the patient sits on the edge of the bed or chair, legs hanging down, feet following the ground, toes up, hands flat on the legs. After sitting well, gradually bend forward and push the hands to the feet. Initial practice hands may only be able to reach the calf, adhere to the exercise can reach the back of the foot and the tip of the foot.
Standing gymnastics: patients stand with their arms crossed, first take turns lifting straight legs forward, then try to separate the legs to stand, take turns bending the knee joint, so that the body is bowed squat. At this point, the lower extremities that are not flexed at the knee joint can be traction and stretched.
One of the causes of sciatica is long-term poor posture, so also known as postural sciatica, while lumbar disc herniation is also the most common cause of sciatica, which is very common in the middle-aged and elderly population. How to prevent sciatica caused by a herniated disc.
The following matters should be noted in life.
(1) To combine work and rest, regularize life, and participate in various sports activities appropriately.
(2) Hard bed rest, can insist on doing bed gymnastics. After exercise, pay attention to the protection of the waist and affected limbs, and change underwear in time after sweating to prevent wet clothes from being warmed and dried on the body; it is not advisable to take a bath immediately after sweating, but to wait until after sweating to prevent getting cold and wind.
(3) In the acute pain period, do not pick up heavy objects over 20 pounds and do not use your legs, arms and back to lift heavy objects with force; you can push but do not pull heavy objects. In order to avoid pulling the sciatic nerve to reduce pain, patients often have some special postures to reduce pain, such as sleeping with the hip and knee of the lower limb on the sick side slightly flexed to the healthy side. The hip and knee of the diseased side of the lower limb are slightly flexed. When sitting down, the hip of the healthy side is used to apply pressure. When standing, the weight of the body shifts to the healthy side, and when bending over to pick up something, the knee of the affected limb flexes, causing scoliosis over time, mostly to the side of the lesion. Any test that pulls on the sciatic nerve can induce or aggravate pain. There may be significant pressure pain along the sciatic nerve pathway at various points such as the lumbar paravertebral area, the equivalent of the circumflexion, at the commissioning point, below the small head of the lateral fibula of the ankle, and in the middle of the sole of the foot. In addition to pain, there are pins and needles and numbness on the lateral side of the calf and the dorsum of the foot, and the muscles of the posterior thigh and calf are flabby and weak, with mild muscle atrophy over time.
Prevention and treatment of sciatica.
1. Active prevention
Learning how to sit, stand and carry things properly is the best way to prevent various kinds of neuralgia. A number of different physical therapy methods can teach you how to act correctly to prevent pain attacks, and you can discuss the treatment with a trained therapist.
2.Massage with an ice pack
Massage with an ice pack can interrupt the signal transmission along the nerve pathway and be replaced by a temperature signal, which can relieve the pain.
3.Acupressure massage
Pressing the Hegu point of the large intestine meridian, located between the thumb and index finger web, can reduce facial pain. Use the thumb or index finger of the right hand to press the point of the left hand for 1 minute, and then press the right hand, if you are pregnant do not use this point.
To reduce pain in the upper chest and abdomen, press the pericardium meridian point, put the thumb on the inner center of the wrist about 2 fingers wide from the wrist between the two bones of the upper limb, press hard for 1 minute 3-5 times, then repeat the pressure on the other side. Press the Waiguan point to help reduce pain within the upper body, put your thumb on the middle of the front of the upper limb 2 thumb width from the wrist joint, press for 1 minute, then repeat the pressure on the other side, 2-3 times each time.
4.Chinese medicine fumigation
Promote local blood circulation and improve nutrition of surrounding tissues, which can treat sciatica. Keep moving often. Because sciatica is a sedentary disease, there should be more exercise to relieve it.
5.Nutrition and diet therapy
Drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables. Patients should take in more water and avoid stimulants such as coffee, soft drinks and cigarettes. Eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals and other beneficial foods.