Does Massage Help Sciatica?

Around 40% of people in the U.S. experience sciatica at some point during their lifetime. Noted as a pain that travels the path of the sciatic nerve, sciatica can leave many of us in discomfort, day after day. Unfortunately, our lifestyle can heavily influence sciatic pain. Age-related changes in the spine, occupation and weight all contribute to the prevalence of sciatica. Yet that doesn’t mean we have to live with it. In fact, there are remedies to help ease the pain and symptoms of sciatica while you’re treating the underlying cause. But does massage help sciatica? Below, we explore how massage can mitigate chronic pain.

What is Sciatica?

The sciatic nerve is located right at the lower back where the hips join. It travels all the way down each leg. When a person is experiencing sciatica, it refers to the pain they feel down the length of the nerve, from the lower back to the foot.

More often than not, this pain can be due to a herniated disk which impacts the nerve causing pressure and pain. Sometimes, numbness and tingling can be felt in the legs too. It isn’t pleasant to experience, yet it is treatable. Medication and physical therapy are both key options to explore first, with surgery generally considered a last resort. While massage won’t fully rectify back or skeletal issues on its own, it can help greatly ease the discomfort that accompanies these issues.

The Benefits of Massage for Sciatica

Massage can prove effective in treating aches and pain within the body – even for chronic pain. According to a 2014 clinical study, five 30-minute deep tissue massages a week were effective in treating both back pain and sciatica over a two-week period. As massage therapy can relax your muscles and improve circulation, it’s believed to provide short-term pain relief for sciatica.

Can At-Home Massage Help Sciatica?

Perhaps you’ve been advised to seek physical therapy or a certain type of massage to relieve the sciatic pain you’ve been experiencing. Yet, it might be even more beneficial to take a look at how in-home massage can conveniently soothe the symptoms of sciatica. While infrequent massage sessions may offer the occasional comfort or release, a consistent schedule provides greater benefits, including stress relief, anxiety relief and pain relief.

Using an FDA-approved Class II medical device like our CERAGEM V6 could be exactly what you need for daily support with temporary relief of muscle & joint pain. With sophisticated spinal scanning technology, air cell massagers, and heated rollers, this massage bed provides a customized massage for all body types that you can rely upon every day of the week. 

How Massage Beds Provide Spinal Relief

At Ceragem, our massage beds are built for daily use to aid in any muscular or joint pain you experience, including sciatica pain. Our patented technology inside the CERAGEM V6 scans your body to find the required pressure points. Now knowing where on your back it needs to work, the massage bed will provide a completely customized acupressure massage tailored to your body. 

Not only is the spine stretched and relaxed during the treatment, but the massage bed emits heat to mimic a hot stone massage. Massage beds that contain thermal massagers combine heat and pressure to mimic the experience of a professional massage therapist. As a result, you can find improved circulation alongside temporary relief of aches, pain, and stiffness.

If you do experience pain, numbness or tingling in the lower body with your sciatica pain, the accompanying air cell massager provides an intensive massage to the lower legs through repetitive pneumatic inflation and deflation.

Grace Olivia Parry is a London-based writer with a penchant for Paris, good food, and fitness. When she’s not writing about the finer things in life, she’s cooking, practicing pilates, or planning her next trip.

Sources

Spine Health - 10 Quick Facts About Sciatica

Mayo Clinic - Sciatica

Cleveland Clinic - Sciatica

The Scientific World Journal - Deep Tissue Massage and Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Low Back Pain: A Prospective Randomized Trial

by Grace Olivia Parry