Sciatica is the term used to describe pain or discomfort along the sciatica nerve which runs from the spinal cord, across each buttock and down each leg. When sciatica flares up, the pain can be extreme and even crippling making it difficult to sit, stand or move around. The good news is that heat therapy for sciatica is a treatment that can be self administered and can provide relief for the discomfort.

Sciatica isn’t a medical condition in and of itself; rather it is usually symptomatic of other problems such as a herniated disc or muscle imbalance and is therefore often accompanied by swelling of the muscle tissue as well. When the flare-up first occurs, it can be a good idea to combine cold therapy to help reduce the swelling. Then the heat can help to increase circulation which in turn helps to loosen or relax the tense muscle tissue.

However, if cold therapy isn’t used, heat therapy for sciatica should wait until about three days following the onset of the pain in order to allow any swelling to go down. It’s important to keep this in mind because using heat on inflamed areas can actually increase the inflammation and make the condition even more uncomfortable.

Heat may be applied in the form of a heating pad or a commercially available heat pack. The heat should be applied for 20 minutes or so; and then removed for a couple of hours before being reapplied for another 20 minutes. For optimal relief it’s a good idea to continue to repeat the cycle as time and conditions allow.

In addition to heat packs, moist heat therapy is also highly effective. If available, soaking in a hot tub, Jacuzzi, or whirlpool bath will go be of great benefit in loosening the muscle tension that serves to make the pain more uncomfortable. The warm to hot water in combination to the jetting water can also be obtained using a hand-held shower head that can be directed onto the area.

While not applying sciatica heat therapy it’s important to move around as much as possible to keep the muscle tissue pliable for as long as possible, which in turn will ward of the pain associated with the re-tensing of the muscles. Although sciatica is uncomfortable, movement is an important part of self treatment and getting to the point where it’s possible to move without pain.

As always, you may want to try multiple sciatica treatments to see what combination of treatments is best for you. If you haven't watched our sciatica videos, you may want to do so to learn more about sciatica and back pain.