Sciatica is a sign of pain in the leg, including fatigue, tingling, and numbness. These sensations begin in your lower back and pass through your buttocks and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg, which can affect your knee, causing pain.
HOW TO RELIEVE SCIATIC NERVE KNEE PAIN
Here are 10 simple steps to relieve sciatic nerve knee pain;
REST
You should feel free to take it easy for the first day or two after the onset of your sciatic nerve knee pain. This should give you relief from the pain, helping your muscles relax and preventing too much movement in your sciatic nerve.
You should not stay in bed longer than a day or two, though. Although it is important to stay active after your initial rest time, be careful not to agitate your sciatic nerve.
Limit strenuous physical activity.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDICATIONS
Irritation of the sciatic nerve may lead to inflammation, which can intensify and prolong sciatic pain. Many over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications are available and can help minimize the sciatic nerve knee pain.
Ibuprofen and naproxen are two very common and successful options. Be sure to follow the dosage instructions on the packaging of the products.
ICE PACKS
Most patients find that cold treatment is most effective in reducing sciatic nerve knee pain when the pain is most severe, usually 2-7 days after the onset of sciatic pain.
Apply an ice pack (or an alternate source of cold, such as a zip-lock bag of the ice cube, a bag of frozen peas, etc.) to the site of your pain for 20 minutes at a time, repeated every two hours.
Make sure you wrap your ice pack in a cloth or a towel. Applying the ice directly to your skin can cause a burn-like discomfort.
HOT WATER BOTTLE
Many people find their painless severe 3-7 days after the onset of sciatic nerve knee pain. Hot, rather than cold, may be more effective in reducing your pain during this stage.
Using a hot water bottle, an electric or microwave heat pad or a warm bath to heat your discomfort. Apply the heat for 20 minutes at a time, repeat every two hours.
Make sure you follow all of the manufacturer’s directions for your heat source. Although several patients report a preference for a cold therapy at the onset of sciatic pain and heat in later stages, this is by no means universal.
STRETCH
Gentle stretching of your legs, butt and lower back muscles will relieve discomfort, leading to reduced inflammation of your sciatic nerve.
It is best to consult your doctor or physical therapist for advice on healthy and successful stretching.
Although there are many variations available, the easiest and most common stretch for alleviating sciatic nerve knee pain is a simple knee-to-chest stretch.
SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN
After a few weeks, most sciatic nerve knee pain dissipates on its own.
If the pain does not lessen on its own or if the pain is very severe, and at-home methods have not been able to relieve it, make a consultation to speak to your doctor about treatment options.
Seldom will have more severe symptoms requiring urgent medical attention.
Contact emergency medical services if you experience; numbness in either or both legs, extreme weakness in one or both legs, complete loss of control of the bladder or intestines, or inability to urinate or move the bowel.
PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE
Your doctor can recommend that you take medicine to ease your sciatic nerve knee pain while recovering from sciatica.
Typical options include oral steroids that have potent anti-inflammatory benefits, decreasing inflammation and discomfort in the area surrounding the sciatic nerve and muscle relaxants, or narcotic pain killers to relieve pain.
STEROID INJECTIONS
Steroid injections work just like oral steroid drugs, temporarily decreasing inflammation and irritation around the sciatic nerve. Injections are more invasive than typical drugs, but they are often more effective. If your pain is sufficiently intense, your doctor can prescribe steroid injections.
VISIT A PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Your therapist will help you learn exercises and stretch routines to strengthen your core and support your spine. Creating strength and flexibility in the lower spine is the first step towards lasting relief from sciatic nerve knee pain.
VISIT A CHIROPRACTOR
Many people with sciatica find that treatment by a chiropractor helps to ease their discomfort. Although further research is needed to confirm chiropractic treatment’s efficacy, recent studies have shown positive results for many patients with sciatica nerve knee pain.
DOES SCIATICA AFFECT THE BACK OF THE KNEE?
Knee pain is often caused by lower back pain, particularly if it is not due to injury. The nerves that begin in the lower back power the muscles around your knees.
Thus, the back issues may be the reason the pain at the back of the knee. Sciatica is compression or inflammation of these nerves.
This frustration begins at the root of the nerve. Pain moves down the nerve, then. As a result, you can feel pain in your knees.
Knee pain is a typical sciatica symptom. Symptoms are felt on the front, back, or side of the knee. For example, you might experience the following symptoms; a dull ache around the knee, buckling of the knee, a warm sensation around the knee, sharp pain around the knee and weakness when extending the knee.
However, it is likely to happen more in one leg at a time. The two knees will not be affected at once.
SYMPTOMS OF NERVE DAMAGE ON THE KNEE
It is possible to have discolouration on the skin around the top or back of the knee. A bluish tinge surrounding the knee may suggest damage to the nerve, although this is not always due to disease.
In certain cases, nerve damage can also restrict the mobility of an individual. Fast kicks, sharp twists, and other severe or rapid movements may be delayed or too painful to execute.
This is typically the result of muscle constrictions that occur in response to nerve signals suggesting damage, which indicates that it is not caused directly by the nerves, but is still closely related.
Patients with nerve damage to their knees can also suffer weakness and immobility. This weakness can include the knee or the whole leg.
In certain cases, the leg may collapse underneath, and the patient may feel unsteady or lose his or her balance.
Another prominent symptom of nerve damage to the knee is numbness and sometimes also a feeling of burning. Some people describe the feeling as a pins and needles sensation, which may radiate up or down the leg.
Pain that tends to radiate out of the knee is one of the most common signs of localized nerve damage. This sometimes happens in varying degrees and can alternate between throbbing and moderate, dull aching.
WHAT TRIGGERS SCIATICA?
Wearing high heels and un-cushioned shoes is a sciatica causes. It is very likely that the ground forces produced while you walk or stand can transfer up your lower extremity to your back and hip structures.
Sitting, particularly for more extended periods of time, with your wallet in your back pocket, can irritate your piriformis muscle. The sciatic nerve is beneath this muscle, which your wallet could pressurize.
Stress is a mind-body trigger for sciatica. People who put pressure on themselves primarily Type A people pleasers who are most at risk for sciatica.
Both tight jeans and underwear with tight elastic can trigger a bout of sciatica.
Being overweight is another way to put pressure on your sciatic nerve. In other words, the more overweight you are, the higher your risk for sciatica.
CONCLUSION
No one should have to live all their lives in pain (and worse, pain medicine).
Even though sciatic nerve knee pain is a fact for an overwhelming number of people, taking a positive approach by exercising will alleviate pain and help prevent it from deteriorating in the future.
[related_posts_by_tax posts_per_page="4"]
