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How Can Massage Therapy Help Sciatica?

For many Sciatica pain affects them every day. In some cases, this pain can be debilitating, causing major discomfort. Doing daily activities can become exhausting- from walking to sitting, it can be tiring trying to find some relief form the pain. The most common cause of sciatica pain, which usually affects the lower back and legs, is a large nerve that runs down the back, into the buttock area and then down into the hip area, and gets “compressed” or pinched.

How Massage Therapy Can Relieve Sciatica

The muscles in the lower back can become tight and put pressure on the sciatic nerve roots, causing a painful flare-up. Massage therapy can relax those muscles, and can improve flexibility and range of motion. You may then be able to do gentle stretches in order to add regular movement to your treatment, which in turn can help keep sciatica pain at bay. Massage also offers pain relief because it releases endorphins, chemicals produced by the body when one is happy and relaxed; they are the body’s way of producing its own pain relief.

Why Choose Massage?

The most obvious argument for massage over other treatments is that it does help to alleviate the pain without surgery that can keep you down for weeks during recovery. Massage can also help you feel great in other places and can help you to relax and put your day behind you. Massage is a fantastic option for those that do suffer from sciatica and want a holistic approach to treatment rather than taking pain medication or opting for surgery.

A study was once conducted on 400 people who were suffering from lower back pain. All the subjects were required to either receive a weekly massage or try whatever alternative healing process they deemed fit. The alternatives ranged from massage to physical therapy to visiting a chiropractor or even using medication. They were also at liberty to choose no action at all. After ten weeks, those who decided to get massage therapy were feeling better and suffered from a lesser amount of pain. More than a third of massage recipients claimed that their pain was nearly or completely gone. However, only 4 percent of those who opted for alternative treatment reported such kind of progress. This proves that massage will help you significantly when it comes to healing sciatica pain, as compared to other methods of treatment.

To schedule your appointment with a certified professional, contact LaVida Massage + Skincare near you today.