For you to take ownership of your healing knowledge is power so it is useful to know something about the sciatic nerve that can be the root of sciatica;
- It is the longest nerve in the body and about the same diameter as your little finger at its thickest point
- It is a collection of a group of nerves coming from your lower back that join together in your buttock
- The sciatic nerve runs from your buttock down your leg all the way to your foot
- All nerves have an inner core and an outer sheath
- The core is meant to be able to slide freely inside the sheath
- Nerves have sensors that are stimulated by movement and temperature
- The most stimulating movements for nerves are pressure (compression) and stretch
- Nerve tissue is the slowest healing tissue in the body
Sciatic nerve irritation
- The most common place for nerves to be injured that cause sciatic pain symptoms is at the nerve roots in the lower back
- They can be irritated with too much compression in the lower back
- The irritation can cause inflammation and swelling of the nerve sheath making it difficult for the nerve to slide within its sheath further irritating it
- If the irritation continues for too long the nerve itself can become very sensitive to pain while the sensation of touch diminishes and you can feel numbness, pins and needles and muscle weakness
- The stimulating movements of pressure and stretch can be very aggravating to an irritated nerve, which is why sitting can often trigger sciatic pain symptoms because when you sit you compress and stretch the sciatic nerve.
- The Sciatic Pain Relief Cushion was developed to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve while sitting to reduce irritation and help you recover