Pinching of a sciatic nerve can be caused by disc herniation and piriformis syndrome.

Sciatic nerve problems, also called sciatic neuritis or sciatica, describes symptoms of tingling, numbness, pain, and weakness that can radiate from the lower back all the way down to the foot.

The symptoms of sciatica result from the irritation or compression of 1 of 5 nerve roots in the spine(sacral nerves S1, S2, or S3 or lumbar nerves L4 or L5) that connect and form the 2 sciatic nerves, or pinching or irritation of the sciatic nerve itself.

The sciatic nerve is thelongest and thickest nerve in the body, and originates in the lumbar spine. It then runs down through the buttock area and continues along the back of the leg and branches off to the tibial and common fibular (peroneal) nerves down to the foot.

In most cases, when a sciatic nerve is compressed only one side is affected with pain, although the pain may alternate from one side to the other. Occasionally, the pain is felt on both sides of the lower back and legs.

Although sciatica pain can be debilitating, most people who suffer from sciatica can find pain relief with non-surgical treatmentssuch as cold compression and BFST®. It is a condition that usually gets better with time and rest. Treating the cause of the nerve compression is important to prevent sciatica pain from returning.

Sciatica Home Treatments

Compression of the sciatic nerve can occur in various locations and the exact cause and location is not always known. Treating the symptoms can be helpful to manage the pain but treating the source of the nerve compression will result in faster sciatica relief. We recommend that you see your doctor for a proper diagnosis and to determine the cause of the compression on the sciatic nerve.

If the compression is caused by soft tissue swelling, you can reduce your pain by applying a Freezie Wrap® when the pain first occurs, to alleviate the swelling that is causing the compression on the nerve. Once the initial pain is reduced, treat the soft tissue inflammation with cold compression therapy for fast relief of sciatica pain.