Conventional treatments for sciatic pain could include lifestyle changes, drugs or if the situation is quite serious, surgery. This will depend on the length and severity of the symptoms.
Here are the common interventions for sciatica:
Education on caring for your back
Lifestyle advice
Exercise advice
Advice to rest or to stay active
Referral to chiropractor, physiotherapist or acupuncturist
Dry-needling using acupuncture needles
Analgesics or painkillers
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Surgery
What you need to know about painkillers
Pros:
Quick
Easy to access
Relatively cheap to buy
May be effective to mask the pain
Cons:
Does not aim to resolve the cause of sciatica (such as softening muscles).
There may be side effects associated with them - make sure to be aware of these. Always check with your doctor.
Can grow tolerance to it, meaning higher risk of side-effects
Opioid addiction is a huge crisis right now, especially for those with chronic pain
Can acupuncture help me with symptoms of sciatica? - Yes.
Next coming article: Find out how acupuncture and natural medicine can help with sciatica, how Western and Eastern medicine can work together.