Can Massage Help with Sciatica?
Sciatica and its causes
Sciatica is a pain that comes along the sciatic nerve extending from the lower back, your hips, and buttock and down to one or both legs. Typically, sciatica pain affects just a single leg and can range in severity from moderate to very severe pain. Some people may also suffer from other symptoms along with the pain like numbness, burning, or feebleness in the affected leg and foot.
Sciatica happens most often when a herniated disc compresses part of the nerve, bone spur on the spine, or narrowing the spine (spinal stenosis). It can make your daily activities grim and become difficult for you to stand, walk, or sit. Apart from taking painkillers to get rid of the pain, a massage chairs for sciatica can be used to relieve the pain. As a sciatica massage would not treat its underlying cause, it may help to provide temporary relief from the pain.
Benefits of massage for sciatica
A massage therapy, either provided by a therapist or pressure point for sciatica, is found to be an effective way to relieve pain due to deep tissue massage relieving lower back pain, which is an early indication of sciatica. Massage can be beneficial in sciatica as it soothes tensed muscles. When muscles are tightened, they put more pressure on your nerves, including the sciatic nerve.
Massaging these tensed muscles with a massager for sciatica pain can help reduce pressure on your sciatic nerve. Soft tissue massage also helps to increase the threshold of pain by releasing endorphin hormones in the blood. Endorphins help in boosting mood and enhancing the feeling of being good. These hormones are also released during exercise, eating, and sex.
Types of Sciatica Massages
Massage therapy is of different kinds. There is no evidence that one form is better than another for sciatica, so choosing one is personal. Some of the most common forms are:
Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage is an active method of massage using gentle finger pressure and gradual strokes to relieve pain from your muscles and connective tissue. Researches prove that 30 minutes of deep tissue massage five days a week for two weeks can aid in relieving lower back pain, just like in sciatica.
Heat massage
Hot stone massage promotes relaxation and eases tensed muscles. Heat is given to specific parts of the body that causes discomfort and provides heat therapy to the aching muscles while using Swedish massage techniques.
Swedish massage
The Swedish massage uses less pressure than deep tissue. Comforting kneading motions are used to activate nerve ends and increase blood supply in the connective tissue. It also leads to alleviate depression and promote relaxation.
Neuromuscular massage
Neuromuscular massage employs innovative massage methods incorporating deep tissue pressure on the rigid tissues to alleviate pain and relieve contracted muscles.
Release of Myofascial
Myofascial release is a procedure that is used to remove discomfort from the myofascial tissue. These are the hard-wearing membrane that encircles your muscles. The immovable parts of the myofascial tissue cause pain and stiffness causing knots. Focusing on using muslce massage gun helps to decrease this discomfort.
There are a plethora of massagers for sciatica pain on the market that have rotating nodes, infrared heating sources, and vibrating features that provide effective relief from sciatica pain, the same as going to a massage therapist.
These massagers provide deep tissue massage and improve the circulation of blood and lymph, which helps in releasing lower back pain in the buttocks, leg, and foot due to sciatica.
