Sciatica

The term Sciatica is often used to describe pain that radiates through the buttocks, behind the hip joint, down the back of the thigh (sometimes the front), into the leg, calf and foot.

The pain can be caused by pressure on the sciatica nerve resulting from a ruptured disk, poor posture, muscle strain, wearing high heels, obesity and sleeping on too soft of a mattress. Inflammation of the nerve in some cases can be caused by osteoarthritis.

It is often found that abdominal congestion can contribute to this painful problem. So it is essential to ensure that the bowels are free from constipation and also that the kidneys are working well. It can be aggravated by coughing, sneezing, bending or lifting.

Where there is nerve pain, relaxing herbal nervines and tonics will help.

Herbs such as:

Passion Flower, Pasque Flower, Jamaican Dogwood,St Johns Wort and Valerian are especially useful.

Chamomile or Lavender are two useful herbs to take in infusions to ease muscle spasms and inflammation which adds to the pain.

Chiropractic therapy can be beneficial for this condition because soft-tissue and vertebral manipulation may reduce pressure on the nerve.