Hi, I'm Natalie here with Veritas Health, and I'm going to give you guys some information on using heat therapy if you have sciatica or leg pain.
When you have sciatica or leg pain, it's not uncommon to feel pain either in the thigh, lower leg, or even into the foot. Although it may be tempting to put heat where you feel the pain, the source of your pain is actually coming from the back. It's usually some the lowest levels of the spine, so you should apply heat to this area like the rear part of your pelvis and sacral area.
There are several options that you can use for a heating pad. One would be an adhesive pad which you can apply directly to the area, and these are convenient because you can wear them as you go about your daily activities. You can also use a gel heating pad, which can be warmed up in the microwave and then applied directly to the back or the sacral area. Finally, you can use an electric heating pad. These are helpful because they can cover a large broad area, and they also have a timer so that you keep track of how long you use them. With any heating source, I recommend leaving on your skin for no longer than 30 minutes. And also be sure to use frequent skin checks to make sure there's no redness, irritation, or signs of burn. I also recommend not using these while you're sleeping, as then it's easy to lose track of time. You should also avoid laying directly on top of them, as that extra pressure can cause too much heat and damage to your skin.
Finally, if you have any topical anti-inflammatories that are prescription or over-the-counter, I would recommend removing these before you use heat therapy, as that can cause some chemical irritation.
To learn more about heat therapy for sciatica and leg pain, please visit us at Spine-health and be sure to subscribe to our channel for more videos like this one. Thank you for watching!
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