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You must have heard a lot about sciatica. Yes, it is quite a popularly uttered term nowadays. Due to the sedentary lifestyle, sitting jobs and lack of exercise, we frequently hear people complaining about a mild to intense pain in the left or right leg. When one or more of the five sets of nerve roots located in the lower back get compressed due to some reason, there is a sensation of tingling, burning, numbness or pain in the back and legs. The problem could happen in the lower or upper part of the spine. When the problem is in the neck, it is called cervical radiculopathy. The problem in the lower back is known as lumbar radiculopathy. Both the problems need a thorough diagnosis and proper sciatic pain treatment. What is the role of physical therapy? Apart from the correct diagnosis and treatment of sciatica, physical therapy or physiotherapy plays a critical role. Relief from the pain and restoration of movements are the two prime benefits of it. Whether it is active physiotherapy or the passive one, patients get tremendous relief. As the physiology, sustainability and severity of the problem of each patient are different; it is very much important to design a personalized program. What is passive physiotherapy? Passive physiotherapy is given by the physical therapy expert to relieve pain and provide the maximum comfort. It is an integral part of sciatic pain treatment or any treatment for that matter. • Lower back deep tissue massage: It is a technique that targets the chronic muscle tension. Physiotherapist presses the sciatic nerve and nerve roots. By the direct pressure and friction, the tension is released and the muscles, tendons and ligaments get released. • Hot and cold therapy: When a heat pack is placed on the target area, more blood flows and reduces the muscle spasm. Cold therapy reduces the blood flow and reduces the muscle spasm. Whether to use hot therapy or cold therapy varies on the case to case basis. • Electrical nerve stimulation: It is given by using a machine that releases variable intensities of electrical stimulation. It reduces muscle spasm and increases the production of endorphin in the body which is a natural painkiller. What is active physiotherapy? It involves individualized exercise program considering the health and medical history. A combination of aerobic exercises, conditioning exercises, strengthening exercises and Yogic postures is designed. Other than medication, physical therapy can bring considerable improvement in the sciatic pain treatment. Most of the people at the older age face the sciatic pain in back. By undergoing of sciatic pain treatment by expert doctors, it can be reduced.
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