Dr Oz did a segment on Sciatica, which is a pain that strikes without warning and causes discomfort in your butt, legs, or even your entire body. Doctor Oz covered everything that you have to know about Sciatica, the Sciatic Nerve, and even a Sciatica Test called the Straight Leg Raising Test.
Dr Oz: What Causes Sciatica Pain?
Dr Oz’s Assitant-Of-The-Day said the she suffers from Sciatica and can get shooting pain down her leg. She said that sitting makes it much worse than walking around. Dr Oz said that the most common cause of Sciatica consists of age related changes to your spine. If you think of your spine as a slinky, when you are young it is nice and stretched out so that the ribs of the slinky do not touch one another. However, as you get older, your spine compresses more and more until the slinky is not stretched out at all – and you often get compression of the disks in your spine. The nerves that come out through the spinal column can get pinched in such a way that you get pain shooting all the way down to your toes.
Dr Oz: Straight Leg Raising Test: Sciatica Test
Dr Oz’s Sciatica Test can be done at home by yourself and a partner. Lie down on the ground and have your partner passively lift up your leg until you feel pain. This is testing if your Sciatic Nerve is compressed. Wherever you get pain, that is your threshold and is a good measure for how bad your Sciatica is and if you have Sciatica in the first place.
Dr Oz: Sciatica Exercise & Treatments
Dr Oz said that if you have Sciatica, lying down and being a couch potato is not going to help. Here are some Sciatica tips:
Dr Oz: Kiss Your Knee
Dr Oz said that you should lie on your back, bring your knee up towards your head, and try to touch your chin to your knee or kiss your knee. People who are married tend to take longer to get better because their spouse’s “baby” them. The general rule of thumb is that if you have awful pain doing something, do not do it, but do as much as you can in order to help speed up the healing process.
Dr Oz: Heated Back Massager
Another great tool to help Sciatica is to use a Heated Back Massager on your favorite chair. You can also try ibuprofen, of course.
Dr Oz warned that if you have sudden incontinence at the same time as your back hurts, you should see a doctor.
Sharon says
I suffer with numbness underneath my toes on my left foot. It all started after the doctor I had diagnoised me with sciatica. How do I get the feeling back in this part of my foot?