Sometimes, even after your most obvious car accident injuries have healed, you are left with lasting pain of some type. Sciatic nerve pain is quite common in these situations. This pain, which radiates through your thighs, lower back, and buttocks, can make it hard to go about your day. Luckily, there are some pain relief strategies you can turn to in order to manage and treat this lingering sciatic pain.
Chiropractic Adjustments
It's common for car accidents to push one or more vertebrae out of alignment. A crash may even displace your pelvis somewhat. The misaligned structures can place pressure on your sciatic nerves or related nerves, contributing to your sciatic nerve pain. Of course, the best way to address sciatic nerve pain is to see a chiropractor. They can adjust your spine in a way that takes pressure off the nerves. One adjustment should have you feeling significantly better, but you may need a few adjustments over the span of a month or two, in order to keep your vertebrae in place and give you more lasting pain relief.
If you've never had a chiropractic adjustment before, don't worry. They're not painful, they only take a few minutes, and they're very safe.
Capsaicin Creams
Capsaicin creams are often recommended for people with arthritis, but they can provide pain relief for sciatica, too. These creams contain capsaicin, which is the compound that makes hot peppers spicy. The capsaicin increases circulation to the area to which it is applied. This can help drain inflammation out of those tissues, which will reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve.
You can buy capsaicin cream over-the-counter at practically any pharmacy. Apply it every few hours, as needed. You may want to wear gloves when applying it, or else your hands will also feel warm.
Pool Walking
The catch-22 with sciatic pain is that exercise tends to make it better, but exercise can also be painful. Pool walking often gives you a way to escape this double-edged conundrum. The coolness of the water and the support it gives your body means that you'll be able to move around with less pain. After ten or fifteen minutes of walking in the pool, you'll often find that your muscles loosen up and your sciatic pain subsides. Pool walking three or four days a week should help ease your pain over time.
Sciatic nerve pain can linger for months or years after a car accident, but with the strategies above, you can regain control. For more information about pain relief tips, contact a local chiropractor near you.
Share22 June 2021
Hi there, my name is Georgette Limerick. I am excited to share my knowledge about chiropractic procedures with you today. I was a softball player through middle school, high school and college. I often stood on the pitcher's mound and lobbed the ball over the plate. The constant movement of my shoulder pulled the ligaments and joint out of alignment. Eventually, I developed an immense amount of pain throughout my neck, back and shoulder. The pain even shot down my arm to my fingertips, making it difficult to work at an acceptable pace. I visited a chiropractor several times to see if some precise adjustments would help. After the third visit, I was convinced the procedures healed me. My site will explore the benefits of chiropractic procedures in detail. Thanks for coming by.