I have had quite a few clients that have told me they have sciatic pain, a few have even claimed to have Sciatica.  In truth Sciatica is generally caused by the compression of lumbar nerves L4 or L5 or sacral nerves S1, S2 or S3, or far less commonly, by compression of the sciatic nerve itself, and it’s truly debilitating.    Those that have “sciatic” pain often suffer from piriformis syndrome or related conditions.

Sciatica is debilitating, it doesn’t just hurt, or cause a bit of tingling and loss of feeling.  It makes movement very difficult, extremely in fact.   Think having to move your leg with your hands.    This whole walking upright thing is quite complex.  The low back and especially the hip are quite prone to dysfunction.   Take a look at an anatomy chart sometime.  There are quite a few muscles with many different actions to be a part of.  Oh and there’s a pretty vital nerve running through or close to the aforementioned piriformis which makes this little guy one of the top five seeds of trouble in the body muscle wise.

I do not mean to dismiss those who have pain and want to name it.  Often, being able to just name your pain is beneficial on many levels.   Anything that brings us towards a better understanding of our bodies is a good thing.    Any information you can provide your massage therapist about your pain can benefit your massage session.  Simply knowing where the pain is coming from and what effect it has on your activity and mobility helps with any treatment you may get. Getting informed about different conditions can be helpful, but claiming you have a condition that has not been diagnosed by a doctor can impede your treatments.   WebMD or answering a few brief questions about your condition does not a diagnoses make.

If you have pain, see a practitioner that’s comfortable for you, whether it be acupuncture, massage, chiropractic or your medical doctor.   If the pain is truly symptomatic of a particular condition any of the first three should recommend you consult your physician for a medical evaluation.    Try to find a practitioner that is familiar with other specialists,  every one in the health field who is concerned about health often knows the other practitioners in the area.

Starting with the title, always seems to trip me up.  I just realized, how can I have a title without anything written on the page.  Am I like the yoga student who is very fixed on knowing the name of the pose without taking even one second to think about its shape.   Every yoga practitioner has done this by the way, whether the moment is long or short, you’ve been there.

Can this also be what happens in those moments of  [insert un-named emotion here].   There are many different ways our emotions present themselves.  Some have a tendency toward tears, while others need physical activity to “deal with their emotions”   No matter how you deal.  Whatever way that feels right to you is what you should do.  So long as it does not have a negative impact on the ones you love.

Poor ways of dealing with emotions are those that mask the emotion or create a sort of numbing effect.    Pacifying oneself for a time can be fine, however, it is all too often that one thing leads to another and in the words of Snow Patrol “..it’s not a party if it happens every night”      The obvious are choices that are found on A&Es show Intervention, alcohol, drugs, gambling.  The not-so-obvious choices are things like cutting (it’s not about the pain), shopping(not really about having things), binging (it’s not about the food - no matter what you do with it afer) and other food-focused issues.

If you see someone or know someone with these issues, the best thing you can do generally is to give them attention.   That’s it, your time, open your ears, go for a walk, play a game, reminisce;  talking to them about their problem will not help much in most cases, that is unless they begin the conversation.

Loved ones aside, lets get back to you and me.   Are you dealing with your emotions in a healthy way?  Are you trying to influence others to deal with their emotions like you?    As a great meditation teacher once told me “Focus Inward”    It truly is amazing how when we focus on ourselves, the world around us seems to change right along with us, perhaps not always in even steps, but you’ll start to notice a shift.