Sciatica is a pain on your sciatic nerve that starts from your spine’s base and spreads through the leg down to your toe. However, the pain will be in either of your legs; sciatica usually doesn’t attack your legs simultaneously. Bilateral sciatica is exceptional and occurs due to the degenerative changes in your body and pain in both legs. No matter how severe or mild the pain and pinching sensation is, you shouldn’t go for medication right away.
Massaging with relaxation can help you get relief from sciatic pain without getting serious medications. If you’re planning to get therapy and don’t know how to massage sciatica pain at home, I’m going to help you. Stick to the article to know how the massage therapy works for sciatica pain and how to give your sciatica pain a proper fight.
Can Massage Help with Sciatica Pain?
Sciatica can be the most annoying pain and sensation; it can cause severe back pain and stiffness on movement. The pain can attack in the tip of the nerve at your lower back and spread along the leg with pinching pain sensation. Some people may need surgery for the problem, but you shouldn’t decide on that before trying massage therapy.
Massaging may not cure the underlying reason for your sciatic pain, but it surely can help you get relief. Applying massager on your sciatic area will loosen up the stiff nerve and knots and ease them with better circulation. With enough sessions, the whole sciatic nerve in your lower body will get to its natural shape and alleviate it.
How To Massage Sciatica Pain?
Sciatica can be acute, and you should treat it before the pain worsens and becomes chronic. Here is how to massage sciatica pain using different massaging methods you can follow in the process:
Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage is one of the most popular massage methods that works deep under the muscle tissues. You can penetrate the layers of your muscle and get gentle pressure on your sciatic nerves and ease them. With the deep finger strokes, while getting the deep tissue massage, you will get relief from the knots and tension on your connective tissues. To get the best results from a deep tissue massage on your affected area, you can get a 30-minutes session each time. The amount or frequency of the therapy should be according to the level of your pain. If the pain level is acute with back pain, try getting 4-5 sessions a week to treat it effectively.
Neuromuscular massage
The neuromuscular massage method is a hybrid massage method that includes deep tissue massage and friction. Your therapist will have a deep pressure, penetrating through the muscles, and treating the tensed tissues. The method will also include frictions to the affected area and ease your sciatic nerves and stiff lower back muscles. The overall outcome of this massage method is faster recovery from muscle stiffness and nerve tension.
Myofascial release therapy
With the myofascial therapy, your therapist will help you release the pain from the stems of your myofascial tissues. This tissue with a tough membrane surrounds your muscles and supports them when they get sore; you may get back pain. In the massage, your therapist will include all the trigger points in the stiff and affected area. If you have immovable myofascial tissues because of the stiffness, the focused pressure will release them. Furthermore, its stretching method will reduce the stiffness and pressure under the muscles on the sciatic tissues.
Hot stone massage and cold therapy
Heat and cold are always among the most practiced therapy methods to help people with health issues, especially pain. The hot stone massage can promote blood circulation around the affected area and relax your stiff and tensed muscles. Your therapist will place the slightly warm stones, specifically on the targeted area, to treat the pain. If you’re suffering from severe pain and the area is excessively hot because of the pain, cold therapy can help. Apply an ice pack on the rear pelvis area and lower back to alleviate the pain effectively.
Swedish massage
Swedish massage therapy is popular for its soothing pressure on the treated area. Your therapist will apply gentle pressure and kneading therapy on the pain and stimulate the sciatic nerves to relieve muscle tension. It will increase the blood flow within your connective tissues and get your sciatica a relaxation it needs. You can get a longer period under this massage method than the deep tissue massage method, as it’s much easier on your muscles.
What Are The Benefits Of Massage For Sciatica Pain?
Massage therapy is one of the most effective and natural ways to alleviate pain in your body. If you have sciatic pain, massage therapy can help you deal with that, too. Here are the benefits you’ll get from massage therapy if you have sciatic pain:
- You’re suffering from sciatic pain, which means your sciatic nerves are sored, tangled, or inflamed. The sciatic nerve from the base of your spine down to your toes will loosen up with the massage and alleviate it.
- The deep tissue massage method can penetrate directly onto the sciatic nerves and the areas around. The pressure on the area works as a great anti-inflammatory agent, especially for lower back and sciatic pain.
- You can also get a hot-stone massage and cold massage therapy to increase your circulation in the pain area. The increased circulation will ease the pain area and get you a soothing relief from the pain.
- Soft tissue massage and stretching therapy will relieve the nerve tension, swelling, and stiffness within your muscles. The sciatic nerve pain mostly happens because of these problems, which you can deal with massage therapies.
- During massage therapy, your body releases more endorphins, oxytocin, and other happy hormones that can dull the sensation of pain. It also improves your mental health and encourages you to sleep better and fight with pain effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most frequently asked questions from the people about sciatic pain and massage therapy to get rid of it:
Can I sleep on my side with sciatica?
How long does sciatica last on average?
Can a massage make sciatica worse?
Final Thought
If I sum it up in simple words, you must try massage therapy for sciatica pain before seeing a doctor. Massaging your sciatic nerves and the affected area is the best way to treat without any side effects. However, you must know which type of massage you should go with and how to massage sciatica pain effectively.
Depending on the level of your pain and stiffness in your sciatic nerves, you can choose one of the methods I mentioned in this article. These are tested and proven methods that have worked successfully, according to professional therapists. Don’t rely on just getting therapy and expect the pain to go away; make changes in your lifestyle, especially your sleeping posture.