Sciatica virus

I do plan to continue using the heating pad over the next several nights to prevent any further flare-ups. Here's what I think is happening: Long ago, when already an adult, I contracted chickenpox.

It "went away" but I'll bet the virus went and hid inside a spinal nerve, then surfaced as sciatica 30 years later. In other words, I think, in my case and perhaps in many others? Applying heat to the virus for lengthy periods inactivated it, just as applying heat to a viral or bacterial respiratory infection clears it more quickly.

Kind of like an artificial fever, perhaps. Sciatica is often treated by alternating hot and cold packs every 20 minutes or so - the hot packs to increase circulation and removal of toxins from the area, the cold packs to reduce swelling. However, I believe applying heat steadily for 3 hours or more is much more effective in deactivating the virus. It's important to recognize, though, that, as long as the heat is on, the swelling and pain will continue.

Extended sitting can increase your risk of sciatica and also can make sciatica worse once you have it. To learn more about ways to ease your sciatica pain, purchase Finding Relief for Sciatica from Harvard Health Publishing.

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Primary care doctors can and should manage sciatica, because for most individuals the body can fix the problem. My job is to help manage the pain while the body does its job. Sciatica refers to pain caused by the sciatic nerve that carries messages from the brain down the spinal cord to the legs. The pain of sciatica typically radiates down one side from the lower back into the leg, often below the knee.

The most common cause is a bulging "herniated" disc in the lower back. Discs are tire-like structures that sit between the bones of the spine.

If the outer rim of the disc tears, usually due to routine pressure on the lower back, the jelly-like inner material can come out and pinch or inflame the nearby nerve. Sciatica is most common in people 30 to The key to diagnosing sciatica is a thorough history and a focused exam.