If you have sciatica, you know the pain and discomfort this condition can cause — often limiting your enjoyment of everyday activities. Rather than suffering through the pain, consider therapeutic massage for sciatica pain, which can help improve your quality of life. Here’s a look at four key questions regarding sciatica treatment and massage therapy.
Is Massage Therapy Helpful for Sciatica Pain?
A leading cause of sciatica is pressure on the vertebrae and irritation to the sciatic nerve — a primary nerve of the body that runs from the lower back to the toes. During massage therapy at Matrix Spa & Massage, muscles, ligaments, and other tissues are kneaded, and the body relaxes, there is reduced pressure and irritation to the sciatic nerve. The result is less sciatica pain.
Massage therapy also promotes the release of endorphins, which isn’t just a temporary feel-good response but a way to increase your pain threshold and help you more efficiently handle the painful symptoms caused by sciatica.
How Often Should You Receive Massage for Sciatica?
According to Healthline, a clinical study conducted in 2014 found that low back pain, as well as sciatica, was effectively treated with 30-minute deep tissue massage sessions that patients received five times a week for two weeks.
However, it is important to understand that the frequency of sciatica treatment depends on the individual and the severity of their sciatica. Additionally, some patients find deep tissue massage to be too intense and may prefer other forms of massage, such as Swedish massage, which uses a softer flowing method rather than the sustained finger pressure of deep tissue massage.
At Matrix Spa & Massage in Salt Lake City, we can discuss the options available to you and help you decide which form of massage and the frequency of treatments would best suit your needs.
Can Massage Make Sciatica Pain Worse?
Because sciatica can be caused by pressure on the vertebrae and irritation to the sciatic nerve, receiving a massage for sciatic pain could possibly make your symptoms worse if you are in the hands of an inexperienced practitioner.
However, when you receive massage treatment from a therapist who has experience treating sciatica, it is very likely that your symptoms will improve and you will have less pain.
How to Cure Sciatica Pain?
Depending on the cause and severity of your pain, you may need a variety of sciatica treatments to alleviate and help cure this sometimes debilitating condition. Massage therapy is a primary way to see improvement in your sciatica, but you can also make other lifestyle improvements, such as regularly doing targeted exercises that relieve tension in your lower back and hips.
Start by learning easy and relaxing yoga poses such as reclining pigeon pose and sitting spinal stretch. These exercises help to lengthen the spine and therefore reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Contact Matrix Spa & Massage
At Matrix Spa & Massage in Salt Lake City, we provide healing massage therapy to help you find pain relief from sciatica. Our experienced therapists are competent in giving therapeutic massage for sciatica pain to meet your individual needs. Contact us at 801-799-4999 today to learn more about our massage treatment packages or to schedule an appointment.
