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Sciatica describes pain from the sciatic nerve in the lower back, through the hips and buttocks, and down each leg. This form of pain is caused by a nerve being compressed or irritated, often due to a bone spur or herniated disc. Those who experience sciatica frequently feel a sharp, shooting, or burning pain, along with numbness, weakness, or tingling.
While men get sciatica more frequently, women are more likely to experience long-term pain. Keep reading to learn the most common reasons for women getting sciatica and how you can treat it for long-term relief.
Common Causes of Sciatica in Women
There is no single cause of sciatica. Ask experts from chiropractic clinics like The Joint, and you’ll learn that women can be at risk of this form of nerve pain for several different reasons. Here are just some of the many:
- Aging: As we age, the discs in our spines can degenerate, leading to conditions like bone spurs and herniation that press on the sciatic nerve and cause pain and discomfort.
- Pregnancy: Women who have never experienced sciatic nerve pain before can suddenly get it when they are pregnant. This is because the growing uterus can press on the sciatic nerve. Weight gain while pregnant can also be a contributing factor.
- Obesity: You may be more at risk of experiencing sciatic pain if you’re overweight or obese. The excess body weight increases spinal stress, sometimes resulting in changes to the spine.
- Sedentary lifestyle: If you sit for extended periods, such as in an office job, you may be more likely to experience sciatica than someone who is more active in their daily work.
- Physical lifestyle: Engaging in activities like heavy lifting, awkward movements, and twisting your back can put you at risk of this form of nerve pain.
- Diabetes: If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you can be at an increased risk of nerve damage, leading to sciatica.
- Spinal conditions: Both men and women who have spinal conditions can be at risk of sciatica. These include spinal disc herniation, where a disc bulges and presses on the sciatic nerve, and spondylolisthesis, where a vertebra slips forward over another, compressing the nerve.
How to Treat Sciatica
How you decide to treat sciatica is a personal decision. Some people experience relief through natural, non-invasive treatment options, while others prefer medication and surgery. If you’re currently exploring treatment options for sciatica, here are some of the most common ones to discuss with your preferred healthcare provider:
Chiropractic Care
If you are one of the up to 40% of people who will experience sciatica in their lifetime, you may decide to explore chiropractic care to manage and relieve sciatic pain. Routine chiropractic care visits involve gentle, non-invasive therapy to improve function and reduce inflammation. Experienced chiropractors use a number of treatment options to assist their clients, based on the cause of their sciatic pain and their preferences, such as:
- Spinal adjustments
- Flexion-distraction
- Pelvic blocking
- Soft tissue therapies
- Therapeutic exercises
Through such care, there’s potential for you to improve your flexibility, activity, and range of motion, as well as reduce pain, discomfort, and inflammation.
At-Home Remedies
If you’re looking for at-home remedies to help ease your sciatica between professional therapies, there are a number of things to try:
- Regular gentle movement and changing positions
- Heat and cold therapy
- Stretching and gentle exercises
- Maintaining good posture while standing and sitting
- Using pillows for support
Medication
When you seek fast relief so you can carry on with everyday activities, medication can sometimes be helpful. Many people with sciatica use muscle relaxants to address sciatica-related muscle spasms, acetaminophen and NSAIDs for managing pain and inflammation, and nerve pain medications for alleviating nerve pain. Depending on the severity of your sciatica, your healthcare provider may recommend epidural steroid injections, which provide anti-inflammatory effects.
Surgery
For some people, sciatica isn’t just a mild form of pain or discomfort that they can manage in everyday life. It can be debilitating and stop them from doing everyday activities. In such severe cases, and when conservative treatment options like chiropractic care and at-home remedies aren’t helpful, surgery may be recommended. In most cases, surgery is to address the underlying cause of the sciatica, like spinal stenosis or a herniated disc.
Ways to Prevent Sciatica
Knowing the extent of discomfort women may experience with sciatica, they can prevent its onset through certain lifestyle adjustments. Following the tips below should be enough to help you steer clear of its effects and improve your well-being as you age:
1. Assume natural postures: The onset of sciatica is largely caused by poor posture. Regardless of what you do and where you work, assuming unnatural postures could cause a prolonged misalignment of your spine. The pain will only get worse if you don’t become conscious of your posture, especially when standing, sitting, or sleeping. With this in mind, be careful not to strain your spine. Keep your muscles relaxed and straighten your back, especially if you’re sitting for long periods.
2. Abandon bad habits: Along with proper posture, you will need to make sure your bones are properly nurtured. For sure, you can’t do it when you still indulge in destructive habits like smoking. The nicotine in tobacco could increase inflammation and worsen spinal disc degeneration as you age. If you want to sustain a healthy back when you enter old age, then you’re better off not smoking at all.
3. Listen to your body: Sciatica prevention is all about knowing your body’s limits and recognizing possible hazards that could worsen the condition. When you’re exercising, for instance, make sure you’re not overextending your back and limbs. You have reached your limit when you feel unbearable pain. When you’re running or jogging, be mindful of your surroundings and commit to a consistent pace. Slips and falls could cause you to land on your back and disturb the sciatic nerve.
Sciatica isn’t just frustrating; it can be painful and life-changing, preventing you from enjoying the activities you once loved. If you’re living with this form of nerve pain, explore some of these remedies above. Something as straightforward as routine chiropractic care or heat therapy may provide the relief you seek.
