By By Comfpack | 24 January 2022 | 0 Comments
How Ice Cools Down Your Sciatica Symptom
When red-hot sciatica pain sears down your leg, using ice therapy can be uniquely effective in immediately soothing the pain.
When you use ice therapy for sciatica pain, apply the ice pack to your lower back and rear pelvis—where the sciatic nerve roots are located. Icing this area, rather than your thigh or calf where the pain may be more, will help control and numb the pain at its origin and also calm the nearby nerves.
How ice therapy reduces sciatica pain
When you use ice therapy, the following changes occur in your sore tissues:1. Lessens pain. Cold therapy reduces pain by decreasing the conduction of nerves of the skin.
2. Numbs the area. The reduction in tissue temperature causes a numbing effect due to the constriction of blood vessels and a decrease in blood flow.
3. Reduces muscle spasm. Cold therapy decreases muscle spasm, which usually creates pain, by cooling the muscle fibers.
4. Decreases inflammation. Lowering the tissue temperature causes a decrease in tissue metabolism and oxygen intake, reducing the overall inflammatory process.
5. Prevents swelling. Reduction in inflammation results in decreased fluid collection and swelling.
Ice therapy can provide effective pain relief when used in acute conditions and may also help prevent the need to take pain-relieving medications.
Types of Ice Packs and Cold Packs
There are many types of ice packs that can be used for relief of lower back pain.
Apply the ice pack to your lower back
Sciatica is caused by an underlying lower back condition. The lower back problem typically pinches or irritates one (or more) of your sciatic nerve roots, which in turn sends pain and other symptoms along your long sciatic nerve.When you use ice therapy for sciatica pain, apply the ice pack to your lower back and rear pelvis—where the sciatic nerve roots are located. Icing this area, rather than your thigh or calf where the pain may be more, will help control and numb the pain at its origin and also calm the nearby nerves.
Precautions while using cold therapy
Overuse or an extended duration of cooling therapy may lead to skin damage, such as frostbite and/or damage to the superficial nerves (neuropathy).General precautions to be taken during the application of cold therapy include:1. Check the duration. Apply the ice pack on the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes at a time with a 2-hour break before the next application.(e.g. up to eight or ten times in a twenty-four hour period)
2. Put on a barrier. Protect your skin by placing a cloth or other protective barrier between yourself and the source of cold.
3. Use ice massage sparingly. While performing an ice massage directly on your skin, avoid the bony protrusions of the spine and stop as soon as numbness is felt (3 to 6 minutes). Repeat only after the numbness wears off completely and avoid several repetitions of this treatment.
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