In addition to providing hydration, drinking water has the potential to alleviate sciatica, a common source of lower back and leg pain. Drinking water can slow the progression of symptoms and ease discomfort. Read on to learn more about how water can help sciatica.
About Sciatica
Sciatica refers to the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the longest and thickest nerve in the human body. It starts in the lower back, continues down into the legs, and then branches off into related nerves that continue down to the toes. If this nerve is irritated by a herniated disc in your lower back, you may experience the following symptoms:
• Lower back pain
• Muscle spasms
• Radiating nerve pain
• Numbness and/or tingling sensations
• Pain aggravated by certain movements
Improving Spinal Disc Hydration
Spinal disc herniation is one of the most common sources of sciatic nerve pain. In this instance, drinking plenty of water can help by making the spinal discs spongier. This is beneficial because hydrated spinal discs are less susceptible to increased damage. Water also protects healthy spinal discs, which reduces the risk of additional herniations. Even with a herniated disc, improved hydration may minimize your current symptoms.
Boosting Circulation
Water increases the flow of blood through arteries, and increased circulation helps tissues around the sciatic nerve heal and recover. As tissues heal, inflammation also subsides to some extent, which reduces pressure and irritation of the sciatic nerve.
Getting Rid of Harmful Toxins
Another way water relieves sciatica is by flushing out toxins around the sciatic nerve. These toxins are chemicals produced by inflammation that can worsen sciatic nerve irritation. Muscle spasms can also contribute to the production of toxins due to the resulting inflammatory response. Even when inflammation subsides, toxins can linger. Drinking more water speeds up the process of getting rid of these harmful chemicals.
Improving Your Overall Health and Wellbeing
Drinking more water also has the potential to make you healthier, especially if you have underlying health issues like diabetes that can affect sciatica. Water is also a healthy substitute for sugary beverages that can worsen sciatica. Increasing hydration can also help you manage high blood pressure and similar chronic conditions that could affect the sciatic nerve or tissues around it.
Finding a Healthy Balance with Water
Aim to drink 4–6 glasses of water per day. However, make sure you do not consume too much water because it can have a negative impact on your brain cells. With that being said, you should drink more water on days when you are exercising or it is hot outside.
If you have had a discectomy or microdiscectomy for a herniated disc, you may experience sciatica if the disc becomes reherniated, which often occurs if there is a large hole in the outer ring of the disc after surgery. Fortunately, there is a new treatment available to avoid this. Barricaid is a device shown to reduce the risk of reherniation by closing the hole in the disc after a discectomy, and 95 percent of Barricaid patients did not undergo a reoperation due to reherniation in a 2-year study timeframe. This treatment is done immediately following the discectomy—during the same operation—and does not require any additional incisions or time in the hospital.
To learn more about the Barricaid treatment, ask your doctor or contact us at 844-288-7474.
For full benefit/risk information, please visit: https://www.barricaid.com/instructions.
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