Sciatica
Where is the sciatic nerve located? Between the piriformis and superior garmellus muscle. (above picture)
The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain and possibly tingling, numbness or weakness that originates in the low back and travels through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of the leg.
The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical sciatica treatment. For others, however, sciatic nerve pain can be severe and debilitating.
Sciatica is often characterized by the following symptoms:
- Pain on one side of the buttock or in one leg that is worse when sitting
- Burning or tingling down the leg
- Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot
- A constant pain on one side of the rear
- A sharp pain that may make it difficult to stand up or to walk
How can massage help?
Massage are a natural way to release the tension in the all the muscles around the sciatic nerve especially the piriformis muscle in the gluts which is the only muscle where the nerve goes directely through. If this muscle is inflammed and tense it will press on the sciatica nerve and gives you a tremendous pain sensation from the L4 down the leg.Painkillers only help for a short period of time to numb the nerve but don't do anything for the muscle. They irritated the muscle even more since the muscle is already inflammed and tense. You can put cold packs on for no longer than 20 minutes to get the inflammation down and have a massage therapist work on the Trigger Points in the Pirisformis muscle.
