Sciatic Relief: Hot, Cold, And Everything In Between

Sciatica is a condition where the sciatic nerve becomes impinged, often characterised by sharp, shooting pains, radiating from the lower back and down through the legs — you probably know this… that’s why you’re here.

If you are someone suffering from sciatica, I feel for you I really do; a significant amount of my clients come to me with sciatic related pain and I myself have also suffered from sciatica — its no easy journey.

There are a few ways to manage sciatica and one way is through hot and cold therapy.

This is by no means a permanent fix but it might just get you by whilst you’re waiting for that appointment with your sports therapist. (If reading that, you have said “what sports therapist?” Then I suggest you do some research and find a good sports therapist in your area to help you out — I’ll explain a bit more in a sec).

Getting Chilly:

Normally, cold therapy looks like an ice pack or cold compress. It’s handy in the early stages of sciatica when the inflammation is building. The cold works by constricting blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the area, and tightening the reins on that swelling. It also has a numbing effect, which can help with that sharp stabbing pain you’re getting sick of.

Time To Get Cozy:

Heat therapy is usually used when the pain is getting a little too much. It’s most effective once the initial inflammation has dispersed, but sometimes that’s not always possible — I wish it was straight forward.

Heat could be a hot water bottle or heating pad. The warmth helps relax tight muscles which could be pinching the sciatic nerve, and promotes blood flow to the area; helping in healing injured tissues and soothing aches and pains. It also reduces muscle spasms that can accompany sciatica — you don’t need that extra cherry to top it off.

Bit of both:

When it comes to my clients, I recommend a bit of both. First, cold to reduce the swelling, followed by hot, to improve circulation and relax the muscles — think about a car, everything just runs a little better once she’s warmed up a bit.

This combo targets both inflammation and muscle tension; the balance will vary for each person but I find there is benefits to be had from both.

Final points:

Hot and cold therapy won’t cure your sciatica, but it might just be that little friend that keeps you going until the appointment with your sports therapist — if you do not have said appointment, I demand that you get one. In some cases, yes, a chiropractor and physio are the people you need if you’ve had an accident and slipped a disk. But in my 20 years of experience, 98% of sciatic pain has been caused by tight, twisted and unconditioned muscles pinching the sciatic nerve and causing that god for saken pain. I have had countless clients who have been mislead in the health industry, wasting time and money and only getting worse; then they met me, and found remarkable results within weeks.

Don’t be like them, get to the bottom of this with the right people supporting you.