Relieving Sciatica with PEMF.
BY JONATHAN BOWEN
The sciatic nerve
Relieving Sciatica
PEMF can relieve sciatica by reducing inflammation, rebuilding cartilage, repairing scar tissue, and muscle strains, reducing tumours and regenerating nerves. However, to understand how it works, we must first understand what sciatica is.
The sciatic nerve branches out from the spine in the lower back at the lumbar vertebrae (L3). The nerve runs through the buttock and down the back of each leg, branching out through the leg into the thigh, calf, foot, and eventually the toes.
Sciatica is known in the medical community under the name lumbar radiculopathy. Sciatica is a series of symptoms, including burning or tingling pain in one leg (or buttock), which increases with sitting. It can also result in weakness and difficulty moving a foot or a leg. Sometimes it will result in numbness. Often a sharp pain shooting down the leg is experienced, making walking or standing difficult. The pain can be constant or occasional and sometimes can be debilitating. As sciatica results from nerve pinching or damage, it can also result in bowel and bladder dysfunction.
The Cause of Sciatica
Sciatica is caused by the nerve being pinched, which can happen for many reasons. It can come from narrowing the spine in the lumbar area (spinal stenosis). It can also be from a bulging or bursting of the discs between the vertebrae (herniated disc). General ageing and the breakdown of discs in the lower back (degenerative disc disease) can also cause nerve pinching. Fractures in the spine can allow the vertebrae to slip and the discs to collapse and pinch the nerve (isthmic spondylolisthesis). Sometimes it is from irritation, such as an irritation in specific muscles in the buttock (piriformis syndrome) or irritation of the sacroiliac joint, which irritates the nerve which sits on top of the sacroiliac joint. There are other causes, including pregnancy, scar tissue, muscle strain, spinal tumours and infections that can cause sciatica.
Traditional Treatment to Relieve Sciatica
A series of treatments are used for sciatica, ranging from medication to reduce swelling and inhibit pain, exercise, steroid injections, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture and, in severe cases, surgery.
Before treatment can be effectively prescribed, a proper diagnosis much be reached to ensure the root cause is being addressed. Relieving sciatica requires understanding the underlying issue.
A herniated disc can pinch the nerve causing sciatica.
PEMF for Relieving Sciatica
Curatron greatly benefits sciatica sufferers as it can help address the symptoms and the cause of sciatica.
Pain Relief
The body naturally handles pain by producing endorphins (endogenous morphine) in the central nervous system and the pituitary gland. Endorphins block the transmission of pain signals to the brain. PEMF energy medicine stimulates the production of natural endorphins and is very effective in dealing with pain without the side effects of surgery or pharmaceuticals. Pain is also caused by inflammation and lack of oxygen in the body. The power of the Curatron system enables the PEMF to penetrate deep into the body and assist in the healing of internal injuries. All cells, including nerves, require ATP production to function correctly. PEMF stimulates ATP production at a cellular level in every cell in the body, ensuring healing and empowering cells to do what they were designed for. Oxygenation is dramatically increased, and healthy cell life is maintained while damaged cells are quickly treated or replaced.
Nerve Repair
All sciatic problems involve nerve damage from one cause or another. Curatron systems create small electrical currents to stimulate nerve regeneration. PEMF has been demonstrated to help with nerve regeneration in scientific research studies:
Previous studies confirm that pulsed magnetic field (PMF) accelerates functional recovery after a nerve crush lesion… The influence of a new PMF application protocol (trained PMF) on nerve regeneration was studied in a model of crush injury of the sciatic nerve of rats…. PMF treatment during the 38 days following the crush injury enhanced the regeneration. Although the axonal ultrastructures were generally normal, slight to moderate myelin sheath degeneration was noted at the lesion site. PMF application for 38 days accelerated nerve conduction velocity, increased CAP amplitude and decreased the time to peak of the CAP. Furthermore, the corrective effects of PMF on the abnormal characteristics of sensory nerve fibres were determined.
Consequently, long-periodic trained PEMF may promote both morphological and electrophysiological properties of the injured nerves. In addition, corrective effects of PMF on sensory fibres may be considered an important finding for neuropathic pain therapy. (1)
A scientific study conducted by a group of doctors and scientists at the John Hopkins School of Medicine concluded:
Peripheral nerve regeneration has been manipulated with… pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs)…. PEMF, attractive because of its noninvasive nature, increases the speed of axon regeneration in the first week by 22–24% …(Sisken et al., 1989; Rusovan et al., 1992)” (2)
PEMF therapy stimulates nerve reception, regeneration, and pain relief. This is critical in relieving sciatica. It is for these same reasons people seek relief from acupuncture. Curatron PEMF therapy is highly effective as it increases blood circulation, muscle relaxation and endorphin release. Massage therapy can provide these same benefits; however, PEMF extends these therapeutic effects throughout the entire body for a longer period.
Treating underlying problems
Relieving sciatica can require getting to the root of the problem. One of the root causes of sciatica is disc herniation. PEMF helps stimulate the repair of cartilage and bone materials, as was reported by K. Perjes:
“This double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the effects of magnetotherapy (PEMF) in patients following herniated disk surgery. Results showed that 52 per cent of patients receiving the treatment compared to 30 per cent of controls reported being free of symptoms at the time of hospital release.” (3)
Effective treatment of cartilage and bone was reported in the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry:
The therapeutic effects of electric and magnetic fields have been studied mainly for their promotion of connective tissue repair. The most widely studied application concerns bone repair and deals with the acceleration of healing fresh fractures, delayed and non-unions, incorporation of bone grafts, osteoporosis, and osteonecrosis. More recently, the effects of these fields on the repair of cartilage and soft fibrous tissues have been described. In all these experimental systems and clinical applications, extracellular matrix synthesis and tissue healing acceleration have been observed. A degree of specificity is hypothesised in terms of the parameters of applied energy and biological response. (4)
Bone degeneration is effectively treated with Curatron as the pulsed electromagnetic fields help stimulate the osteoblasts responsible for rebuilding and repairing bone material in both spinal and sacral vertebrae. PEMF also helps stimulate the extracellular matrix responsible for regenerating cartilage.
Complementing the Healing Process.
As with any health and wellness protocol, PEMF is not a stand-alone treatment. It should be implemented in conjunction with making healthy choices, including exercise, optimal nutrition, supplementation, good sleeping habits (to allow time for the body to repair), detoxification and lifestyle decisions that complement a return to and maintenance of good health.
PEMF Systems for Sciatica
References:
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Mert T, Gunay I, Gocmen C, Kaya M, Polat S.; Altern Ther Health Med. 2006 Sep-Oct; 12(5):42-9, Regenerative effects of pulsed magnetic field on injured peripheral nerves. Department of Biophysics, University of Cukurova School of Medicine, Adana, Turkey.
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Thomas M. Brushart, Departments of Orthopaedics and Neurology Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Paul N. Hoffman, Departments of Neurology and Opthalmology Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Richard M. Royall, Department of Biostatistics and Statistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Beth B. Murinson, Departments Neurology Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Christian Witzel, Departments of Orthopaedics Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; and Tessa Gordon, Department of Pharmacology, Division of Neuroscience, University of Alberta. Electrical Stimulation Promotes Motoneuron Regeneration without Increasing Its Speed or Conditioning the Neuron, The Journal of Neuroscience, August 1, 2002, 22(15):6631–6638.
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Perjes, et al., “Effect of Magnetotherapy on Recovery After Herniated Disk Surgery,” Hungarian Symposium on Magnetotherapy, 2nd Symposium, May 16-17, 1987, Szekesfehervar, Hungary, p. 159-162.
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R.K. Aaron, D.M. Ciombor, Therapeutic effects of electromagnetic fields in the stimulation of connective tissue repair. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 1993 May;52(1):42-6.