There’s more to weight loss than fitting into your favorite jeans. A new study confirms that weight loss can significantly relieve back pain and sciatica in obese patients. Low-back pain and sciatica are common among obese patients. Research shows that having a high BMI can slow your rate of recovery from low-back pain and increase [...]
Acupuncture could be better than a common drug for treating sciatica pain, a recent small study suggests. After three treatments, 57% of acupuncture patients were cured compared to just 27% of patients taking a common pain killer and 20% receiving alkaloid injections. Researchers from China divided 90 sciatica patients into three groups receiving one of [...]
Women with sciatica are more likely to have a slower recovery rate than men with the same condition. In a recent study, 28% of women had unsatisfactory outcomes after one year of treatment, compared to just 11% of men. Patients with unsatisfactory outcomes suffered from higher pain and disability levels as well as slower recovery [...]
Injections of a epidural steroids and an arthritis drug did not significantly ease sciatic pain for patients in a new study. In recent years, the number of epidural steroid injections has soared. This is likely because surgery and analgesic drugs have not consistently created lasting relief for many sciatica patients, the researchers of the recent [...]
The efficacy of drugs for sciatica treatment has been called into question in a recent literature review. Although there are consistent guidelines for prescribing medication for low-back pain, “this is not the case for sciatica.” To address this lack of clear guidelines, researchers analyzed the results of current literature on pharmaceutical treatment of sciatica.1 After [...]
Supervised sessions of physical therapy provided immediate and long-term relief for patients with sciatica, according to secondary analysis of a recent study. 165 patients with moderate and severe sciatica pain participated in several supervised physical therapy sessions for three months. Immediately following a session, 85% of patients experienced reduced leg pain through a process known [...]
Work-related sciatica can be one of the most challenging and expensive problem in our health care systems. By definition, sciatica refers to pain and tenderness at some point of the sciatic nerve. It often encompasses a painful disorder extending from the hip down the back of the thigh and surrounding area. It is painful, life-hindering, [...]
Leading a healthy lifestyle can minimize your chance of developing diseases. Now scientists are starting to understand which lifestyle habits may increase your risk for having chronic pain. New research highlights at least two factors linked to chronic pain: smoking and obesity. Learn more about how your lifestyle habits impact your experience with pain. Here’s [...]
Previously, treatment for low-back pain consisted of bed rest or passive treatment methods. Now more studies are pointing to the benefits of staying active with pain thresholds. The word “active” is a double entendre though: not only does it mean more exercise, it also means that patients take an active role in their treatment by [...]
