One common, but easily fixable, problem is sciatica. Sciatica causes pain in lower back, glutes and hips. Sometimes the pain will go down the back of the legs. It can be accompanied by numbness and tingling. Sometimes it can even make walking difficult or impossible.



Sciatica can be very painful and even disabling some cases. However, studies have shown that massage is a safe, effective and economical treatment for sciatica, according to the Touch Research Institutes (TRI).

Compression (also called impingement or entrapment) of the sciatic nerve is normally the cause of the discomfort. Your sciatic nerve is the central nerve of your body. It begins at your brain stem and travels down the spinal cord all the way down to your feet.

Impingements can happen in various places, such as in one of the joints of the lower vertebrae or sacrum. Muscular tension can pull joints out of alignment, which places pressure on the nerve.

I've seen a lot sciatica and the way I relieve pain is to bring the body into better alignment and free the nerves that are trapped.

Swedish massage is great for relaxing muscle but doesn't go deep enough into the muscle fiber and connective tissue to liberate compressed nerves. Myofascial release, trigger point therapy, neuromuscular therapy, and other deep tissue techniques are more effective for relieving sciatica.

Massage is like other types of therapy in that it needs to be used regularly until symptoms are reduced or disappear. However, when you consider the level of effectiveness, safety and cost, massage is a smart choice for those with sciatica.