Ayurvedic treatment has started to become more popular in a number of venues, and because of that, questions have come up about what it can help and how it can help certain people with certain diseases and symptoms.
This article is going to focus on the Ayurvedic treatment of sciatica and how it can help to reduce the stress related to this particular issue.
What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is actually a symptom instead of a disease. It comprises of leg pain, which may feel like an awful leg spasm, or it might be an unbearable, shooting ache that makes standing or sitting unusually painful. The pain may be more terrible when you sit, cough, or sneeze.
Sciatica can happen abruptly or it can develop progressively. You may likewise feel pain, numbness, or “pins and needles” down your leg, sometimes even in your toes.
In the worst cases, it may be impossible for you to twist your knee or move your foot and toes.
Sciatica may be a side effect of a “squeezed nerve,” influencing one or more of the lower spinal nerves.
The nerve may be squeezed inside or outside of the spinal channel as it passes through the leg. There are a few things that may cause sciatica to happen.
A herniated or slipped spinal disc that causes pressure on a nerve ending is the most common cause, but other causes include spinal stenosis (the spinal column narrows and puts weight on the nerves) piriformis disorder (when the piriformis muscle is tight), or severely slipped vertebrae (known as Spondylolisthesis).
So, of course, you likely want to know how they determine whether or not you have issues with sciatica.
A complete medical history, including a survey of your symptoms, and a physical exam can help the chiropractor or doctor to diagnose sciatica and determine its cause.
Case in point, he or she may perform a straight leg raise test, in which you lie on your back with your legs straight.
Your medical professional will gradually raise each leg and note the height at which you start to feel pain.
This test can help pinpoint the influenced nerves and figure out whether there is an issue with one of your spinal discs. Other demonstrative tests may be performed to search for sciatic aches.
Contingent upon what your medical professional discovers, he or she may propose further testing.
Such testing may include x-rays, MRI’s, CT scans, nerve speed studies, myelogram tests, and more.
That being said, most people with sciatic pain don’t usually need the additional testing in order to figure out where the pain is coming from and what the main causes are the pain.
What Ayurvedic Treatments Can I Try?
Sciatica is a disorder that is very easily dealt with by Ayurvedic treatments. In this medical practice, Sciatica is treated with a combination of herbal concoctions, external oil applications, and heat therapy.
Ayurvedic treatment focuses on making individual people and their particular problems.
The types of therapy that will be recommended for you and your particular pains will depend on your body, where the pain is located, what the cause of the pain is, and how severe it is.
The most common treatment for sciatica is the use of herbal pills. These can include a number of different herbs, but usually, they involve the use of Guggulu, which is from a tree that is only found in this region of the world.
This pill is made by making a paste of dozens of different herbs, the Guggulu resin, and ghee.
The medicine and herbal mixtures are very effective in the treatment of all pains of the nervous system, including sciatic pain.
There are also a number of fresh herbal concoctions and mixtures that are used. These are prepared by boiling a large number of dry and fresh herbs.
Depending on the patients’ condition, these concoctions also help to reduce the pain associated with the disease.
Usually, it is recommended that you take castor oil (which works well as a diuretic) along with these mixtures so that you are less likely to become constipated due to the herbs that are in the concoction.
Of course, this herbal treatment is not the only type of treatment that will be used when you are being treated by an ayurvedic treatment professional.
A popular form of treatment involves an external oil application on the painful parts of the body, particularly the back region, buttocks, and part of the thighs and legs with different types of herbal oils.
This medicinal oil is prepared with the base of vegetable turpentine, mustard oil, and camphor, and may include other herbs depending on what the pain is like.
This oil will help to loosen up those parts of the body and it will make it easier for you to move, sit, and stand on the issues that you may be having.
Another popular treatment includes heat therapy. This focuses on covering the aching parts of the body with what is called “Bolus,” which are bundles of fresh and dry herbal parts and sea salt wrapped in cloth.
The oil massage and the heat therapy improve the blood circulation, reduce the aggravated Vatha Dosha, stimulate and strengthen the nerves, and help to reduce the pain.
By working in this way, the body is able to regain its balance and you won’t feel like you are in as much pain as you were from the sciatic nerve being pinched.
Sciatica reacts very well to a number of different natural treatments, which is why Ayurvedic treatment is so effective for those suffering from the symptoms.
Finding a professional Ayurvedic doctor will help you start on your journey toward wholeness and make you feel as if you are better able to deal with the irritation and pain that are associated with this uncomfortable disorder.
If done correctly, you may even be able to eliminate the symptoms you are dealing with on a regular basis.
