If you have ever felt the pain of a sciatic nerve inflammation you are not alone. Millions of people suffer from sciatic nerve pain and spend days or even weeks trying to find sciatic nerve pain relief. Young and old alike find themselves in severe pain from their lower back right down to their toes with many thanks to the sciatic nerve. Pain relief for sciatic nerve pain is simple and easy to find when you follow the acronym HIPPS. This acronym is simple to remember when you think about the fact that the sciatic nerve pain often seems to radiate in the area located central to the Hips.
Hot Compresses for Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief: Hot compresses can be used to reduce the sciatic nerve inflammation and eliminate pain. Pain relief can be just minutes away when you use hot compresses to reduce the inflammation. Place a hot towel or heating pad directly on the side of the back in which you are experiencing sciatic pain. A heating pad can be used for hours while a hot towel will have to be replaced about every twenty minutes. Keep hot compresses on the sciatic nerve area for at least one hour at a time.
Ice Packs for Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief: Following the use of the hot compress, immediately use an ice pack to compress the area. Ice packs on the pained area of the back will shock the nerve and sometimes cause it to retreat. The ice packs should be kept on the sciatic nerve area for at least 20 minutes following the use of the hot compresses.
Pressure for Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief: Place pressure on the pain and massage the area. If you cannot massage it deeply or you are unable to get a deep enough massage to help with the pain relief, have the massager use a massage ball or other tool to really impose a deep massage to the area. Sometimes, since the sciatic nerve is so deep within the tissue it is necessary for the massage to be performed very firmly in order to reach the culprit of the pain.
Point for Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief: Stand on the foot opposite of the side that you feel the sciatic nerve pain and point and flex the toe on the foot that resides on the side with the most pain. Continue to perform the point and flex exercise periodically throughout the day to increase the pain relief from the sciatic nerve. The pointing of the toe will help to relieve the pressure that is placed on the back and the spine and can sometimes completely alleviate the pain associated with the sciatic nerve.
Sleep for Sciatic Nerve Pain Relief: Finally, following the other pain relief measures, at the end of the day when it comes time for bed make sure that you sleep properly to help relieve sciatic nerve pain. Pain relief for sciatic nerve involves the necessity to relieve the pressure that has been placed on the nerve. This can be done by sleeping on the side that is opposite of the pain. This will help to bring pressure away from the nerve and hopefully aid in the reduction of inflammation.
If the HIPPS acronym does not bring you pain relief for your sciatic nerve problems then you should consult your doctor. Most times, sciatic nerve pain will only last a few days when you follow the HIPPS acronym for pain relief. If the pain persists then your doctor may be able to give you more treatment options including injection therapy or medication.
