How to Avoid Sciatica Pain?

Are you wondering if you are at risk of developing sciatica pain? Then you have come to the right place. The trained doctors at Pain Treatment Specialists are here to discuss factors that can increase the risk of developing sciatica pain so that you know what to avoid in the future and how to improve your lifestyle. It is worth mentioning that sciatica pain and other types of back pain can’t always be avoided, so do not hesitate to book an appointment with a sciatica doctor in New Jersey if your pain is persistent.

1. Getting Older

Aging is one of the main risk factors for developing sciatica pain. That is because a range of conditions can lead to spine degeneration with age, mainly due to changes in your intervertebral discs, bone spurs, and spinal stenosis.

To help you learn more, here are some changes your skeletal system goes through as you get older:

• After the age of 30, degeneration of the intervertebral disks starts to appear
• As a person gets past the age of 50, they can experience spinal stenosis, which is basically the narrowing of the spine.
• Bone spurs and other arthritic changes can affect your spine, especially if you suspect you may be prone to arthritis.
• As you get older, it is natural for your spinal discs to lose some of their resilience.

Unfortunately, many of these changes occur naturally as we age, and there is little we can do about it. Work, sports activities, and even certain social activities can raise the risk of spine damage, thus leading to sciatic pain. Minimally invasive treatment options, such as steroid injections, have proven effective in reducing sciatica pain symptoms.

2. Living a Sedentary Life

Sitting for prolonged hours each day, either due to work or because of a sedentary life, is one of the biggest causes of sciatic pain. Unfortunately, most office jobs today require people to sit for over 5 hours a day, to which we can add the hours spent driving, sitting on the couch, and so on.

Sitting compresses your spinal discs, which can easily pinch or irritate the sciatic nerve. In some cases, sitting can directly put pressure on the sciatic nerve and lead to conditions such as piriformis syndrome.

If you want to lower the risks of developing symptoms of sciatica, the main thing you can do is start focusing on an active, healthy lifestyle. Certain habits such as daily exercise and keeping an eye on your posture can help you avoid placing too much tension on your lower back, reducing the risks of damaging the sciatic nerve. Prevention is better than having to spend weeks finding the accurate treatment option to reduce pain.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, too much physical effort can lead to sciatic pain, especially if these activities are not done properly. For example, lifting heavy objects can result in disc herniation, which is the main cause of developing sciatic pain.

3. Walking and Running

This may sound a bit strange, but we are not, in fact, talking about your daily walk in the park or evening jog. Speed walking and running are quite popular sports, but multiple studies reveal they can actually increase the risk of developing sciatic pain.

When you walk or run repeatedly the piriformis muscle contracts and tightens to help you move forward. When this muscle gets tightened, it can easily irritate the sciatic nerve that sits exactly under it and cause irritating pain.

To prevent this from happening, it is recommended you don’t push yourself too much when it comes to physical exercises. If you start feeling pain, avoid running or walking long distances at least for a few days. Observe the evolution of your symptoms and contact a doctor if they seem to worsen after a few days.

4. Other Conditions

Excessive weight puts additional pressure on your spine, which can lead to herniated disks or an irritated sciatic nerve. This is why obesity is one of the biggest causes for people developing sciatic pain or a condition that can lead to a damaged sciatic nerve.

This does not only happen for people that are overweight, but for pregnant women as well, as the baby’s weight adds pressure on the mother’s spine and can easily pinch the nerve. Changes to the position of the baby can also put additional pressure on the sciatic nerve.

As pain management specialists point out people who suffer from diabetes are also more likely to develop sciatic pain, as they are prone to nerve damage. Vitamin B12 deficiency is also a known risk factor for developing sciatica.

5. Unhealthy Daily Habits

While certain medical conditions can increase the risk of developing sciatic pain, some of our poor daily habits can contribute to that as well. That is because certain activities can put pressure either on the spine or directly on the sciatic nerve.

Some of these activities include:

• Prolonged sitting
• Bad physical exercising
• Lifting heavy objects by using our back instead of legs
• Sleeping in a poor position (on your stomach, or twisted unnaturally)

If you suspect you are at risk of developing sciatic pain, it is time you schedule an appointment and discuss with a pain specialist, and find accurate sciatica treatment. If you are looking for a sciatica pain doctor in New Jersey, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Pain Treatment Specialists today. If you don’t want to pay us a visit, we are also available for phone general inquiries.

You can book an appointment at any of our three conveniently-placed NJ locations:

• in Paramus on Route 17, near the Paramus Park Mall,
• in Woodland Park, on Mc Bride Avenue.
• in Clifton, NJ, on Route 46 E, past the Ford dealership,
• in West Orange, near the Essex Country Club.