People tend to think of the heart as the center of feeling, but, of course, we all know that the heart isn’t actually responsible for conveying emotion, or physical feeling. That job belongs to the spinal column, as unromantic as it may be. Messages to and from the brain are sent via the spinal column, and so, naturally, trouble at the spinal column can create havoc for the rest of the body. Did you know that long term back pain has been associated with depression?

Sciatica is one condition that is often responsible for long term back pain. Unfortunately, finding the right sciatica treatments can be very difficult, since sciatica is truly just a symptom of a bigger problem, such as spinal stenosis, or a herniated disc. To take charge of this problem, and prevent it from getting worse, or happening in the future after successful treatment, there are three simple principles that you need to adhere to.

Reduce Your Risk of Injury

Unless you want to be searching for an expert in severe back pain treatment, then you should abstain from any heavy lifting or high-impact situations while you are healing. This means everything from sledding down the hill behind your house, to para-skiing. Your back is already in a vulnerable state, and to take a chance by lifting a heavy box incorrectly, or having an accident while mountain biking, would create a perfect situation for your back to go from bad to worse.

Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

No collection of treatment tips would be complete without encouragement to pursue a healthy lifestyle. When it comes to sciatica pain treatment, being overweight or obese can actually increase the amount of time it takes to heal, and aggravate symptoms in the meantime. Sitting for too long, and not exercising can also do harm to the bones, joints, and muscles in your back by letting them become weaker and less flexible over time.

Pursue Treatment

Whatever you do, don’t stop your prescribed sciatica pain treatment. If you haven’t been prescribed a treatment plan yet, and your sciatica has some root in an injury, then you should consider seeing a sports injury specialist. Sports specialists use chiropractic care to address the injuries that are commonly seen in athletes. In fact, about 31% of National Football League teams have chiropractors on their medical staff. Even if your pain is not rooted in an injury, a chiropractor can still help you pursue various sciatica pain treatments.

Finding effective spine pain management can be very difficult, since few people respond to the same treatments in the same way. In pursuing your own personalized sciatica pain treatment, remember that protecting your spine while it heals is important, as is taking steps to strengthen it for the future. Seek treatment, but don’t forget that a holistic approach will help you to avoid injury and the resulting pain after your current condition has been resolved. Research more like this.