Body pains can appear mysteriously or because of an injury. They can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). It can also be difficult to discover the source of your pain, especially because some pains might appear in other parts of your body even though your back is the problem.
You probably won’t always be able to identify the source of your body pain, which is why talking to a professional like a chiropractor would be a good place to start. If you’re looking for a reliable, friendly chiropractor, stop by Transform Chiropractic where you can get an assessment to determine what exactly the problem is.
It Might be Sciatica
Sciatica refers to the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body and is responsible for the sensation and muscle to strengthen your legs. It starts in your lower back and branches off from multiple points through to your hips, buttocks, legs, and feet.
The lumbar spine in your lower back is composed of five bones or vertebra. They are separated by discs which are meant to provide cushioning and spacing for your spinal nerves. But when these discs get worn down from years of use or damaged because of an injury, the nerve can get compressed or irritated and potentially cause pain in your lower back, glutes, hips, and down your leg into your feet.
Sciatica nerve pain may also cause you to experience numbness, pins, and needles, or strange sensations in your legs. And because this nerve is also responsible for controlling your leg muscles, you could possibly experience weakness and difficulty walking.
These symptoms can significantly hinder your quality of life, making it hard to do something as simple as getting ready for work in the morning.
Don’t Just Sit Around
This kind of nerve pain isn’t solved by resting your back. That doesn’t mean that you should start doing some heavy workouts, but it’s important to keep moving so that the nerve doesn’t continue to get irritated as you sit in the same position.
These stretches can get you moving and relieve the pain and compression on your discs:
- Reclining pigeon pose
- Sitting pigeon pose
- Forward pigeon pose
- Knee to opposite shoulder
- Sitting spinal stretch
- Standing hamstring stretch
Many of these are easy to do and if you take a few minutes out of your day, every day, you will see significant improvements to your pain.
Quit Your Bad Habits
Nothing will get better if you continue to do the bad habits that caused your pain in the first place. Keep the following in mind for your day-to-day life:
- Avoid prolonged sitting or forward bending
- Get up and take a walk between extended periods of sitting
- Refrain from slouching or hunching
- Sleep on your back with a small pillow under your knees
- If you sleep on your side, place a small pillow in between your knees
Awareness is the key to better body health – always be considerate of your posture, of how long you’ve been sitting, and when the last time you stretched was. You’d be surprised to see the difference it makes!
