It’s been quite some time since I’ve had to deal with the excruciating pain of sciatica. Whenever I felt that all too familiar twinge, I’d massage the back of opposite hip and it would go away. I learned that trick from my acupuncturist. When I first went to my acupuncturist in obvious pain on my left side, she put me on the table, face down and starting pinning my right side.

Thinking that I hadn’t made myself clear, I reiterated that the pain was on the left side. She nodded her head in her Zen-like fashion and continued on. Imagine my surprise when after our session I got up from the table feeling quite a bit of relief from my sciatic pain.

Acupressure for Sciatic Pain Relief

Over time when I began to feel the telltale signs of sciatica, I would search for the energy blockage above my right hip. It’s easy to feel once you know what you’re looking for. It feels like a marble. The size of the marble varies depending on how long I’ve allowed the condition to exist. Once I find the marble, I take my thumb and massage it with enough pressure to break it up. Once the marble is gone, the sciatic pain goes too. I realized later that I was performing acupressure.

For folks not familiar with acupressure, here are a couple of links that explain it better than I can:

• Acupressure Points for Lower Back Pain and Sciatica  (Note: The right-most image shows the exact location of where to massage to alleviate sciatica pain. In my case, the location of the right thumb is spot on.)
• Massage Therapy for Lower Back Pain, Hip Pain and Sciatica

Lack of Movement Contributes to  Flare Up

Like I said earlier, things have been quiet on the sciatica front until a few weeks ago. I brought together all the necessary ingredients for a flare-up. I stopped taking magnesium, exercising, stretching, bouncing on the rebounder and eating right. On top of that, I spent a marathon of 2 weeks sitting in front of the computer for about 10 to 12 hours a day (I switched hosting companies and had to transfer 20 sites over to the new host).

A day or two after my computer marathon I felt the beginnings of a sciatica episode. I tried massaging the lump, but I realized I had let things progress too far. I started a regimen of ibuprofen for a few days, but my stomach wasn’t too happy about that. Now, not only did I have an unhappy hip, but I also had an unhappy stomach.

I dropped the ibuprofen and decided to take proteolytic enzymes instead. I took massive quantities of bromelain and papain. To give you an idea of how much I consumed, a 100-capsule bottle lasted 4 or 5 days. The proteolytic enzymes not only helped to improve my digestion, but it significantly reduced my sciatic pain.

Chiropractic Adjustment: The Big Guns for Alleviating Sciatic Pain

The icing on the cake with sciatica is to find a competent chiropractor. Lucky for me I have one. I made an appointment, got my adjustment along with ultrasound heat and went on my merry way. Since then I’ve made sure to get back to taking magnesium, go out for a daily walk and to be mindful of when I’m sitting for too long. Movement in addition to acupressure can keep a full-blown sciatic event at bay. However, if you allow things to get out of hand, find a chiropractor that specializes in sciatica pain. He/She will know the proper protocols to get you back up and running.

Sciatic trial and error got me to where I am today. In case you’re interested in reading about where I’ve been in order to arrive at where I am (sciatically speaking) here are a few posts documenting my journey:

2011

• Sciatica and Vitamin C
• Acupuncture for Sciatic Pain
• Sciatica the Dubious Catalyst

2012

• Approaching Sciatica Differently
• Making Progress with Sciatica Pain
• Walking Aint so Bad
• Continuing Sciatica Saga
• Tickled about Sciatica Progress
• Good Bye Sciatica
• My Own Worst Enemy
• Sciatica Experiment

2013

• Keeping Sciatica at Bay

2017

• 5 Years Free from Sciatica Pain