Sciatica—pain that radiates down the path of your sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each of your legs—can make the most mundane actions feel like torture. A symptom that most commonly crops up when a herniated disk, a bone spur, or a narrowing of the spine compresses the sciatic nerve, sciatic pain can also be caused by piriformis syndrome (when the piriformis muscle, which assists in rotating the hip, spasms and irritates the sciatic nerve) and pregnancy, when a woman's expanding uterus can press on the nerve. See your primary-care doc to pinpoint the source of your sciatica, then consider one of these methods to put that pain behind you.
Physical therapy
Tempting as it may be to throw the covers over your head when sciatic pain flares up, "it's important to note that prolonged bed rest does not help resolve symptoms faster," says Mark Milstein, MD, a neurologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Try physical therapy instead: "It's an effective treatment for most patients with sciatica, and given the usual restrictions of pharmacologic treatment during pregnancy, it's even more important for expectant mothers," Dr. Milstein says. Find a licensed physical therapist to coach you through exercises that will help you get (and stay) up via the American Physical Therapy Association.
Acupuncture
"Acupuncture is known to reduce pain by increasing endorphins (which help a person become more resistant to pain) and reducing the level of inflammation," notes Jiang-Ti Kong, MD, an anesthesiologist and pain specialist at Stanford Health Care in California. It's also an excellent complement to other sciatica-management strategies, Dr. Kong adds: "As an adjunct to physical therapy or even injections, it can make those therapies much more effective. It's also very safe, with minimal side effects and risks." Look for a practitioner with the professional initials DABMA (which means they've been certified by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture).
Heat or ice
If your pain is the result of a muscle spasm, as with piriformis syndrome, try applying either an ice pack or heat (in the form of a heating pad, a heating patch such as ThermaCare, or a hot water bottle; aim for a temperature of 104 degrees), whichever feels best to you. Stick to 15 or 20 minutes at a time to give your skin a chance to recover, especially if you're using ice, says Farah Hameed, MD, a sports and spine specialist and the medical director of Women's Health Rehabilitation at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "The more local the pain is, the more beneficial the application of heat or cold will be," she adds.
A lumbar pillow
"Prolonged sitting has been associated with increased risk of developing sciatica, so it's important to maintain good posture while sitting at a desk," Dr. Milstein notes. Placing a pillow against your lower back supports its natural curve and makes it more difficult to hunch forward. Dr. Hameed suggests the McKenzie Lumbar Roll ($16; amazon.com), a bolster-shaped cushion "that helps you to be a little more upright; you can put it behind you in your chair at the office, or in your car for use while driving."
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