Treating Sciatica with Shiatsu

Sciatica is a very frustrating condition that renders you totally helpless. You want to resort to any means of treatment just to feel a little better. However, this condition of the lower back does not go away so easily and you have to be patient with it. There are various therapies and medications that are available to treat sciatica- shiatsu is one of them. It is an eastern technique of massage which is used as an alternative therapy to relax the muscles of the back and the neck.

This method of healing back pain has originated about 1,000 years back in Japan. This art was initially mastered by the blind as a profession there. Today, the shiatsu practitioner who is usually a small gentleman uses his palms, fingers, thumbs and sometimes knees to give a rhythmic massage to the sufferer. The pressure is applied using the fingers to stimulate the ki (or chi) to flow in the bones, muscles skin and the arteries. Phases of heavy pressure mean the energy is made to flow throughout the body.

The basic concept of the shiatsu is to tap the ability of the body to repair itself. This practice does not involve the use of needles or prescriptions. It works by understanding the energy meridians of the body. A shiatsu session lasts for an hour and the person feels considerably at peace and relaxed after it is over. Shiatsu is efficient enough to relieve pain in a maximum of five sessions.

The fundamental is to reestablish the correct flow of energy-ki in the body through massages which are known to clear the energetic blocks that are believed to be the source of pain. This practice aims to restore the balance of the body.

Shiatsu is considered different from the league of other treatments for sciatica because individual differences are given immense importance in it. There is no standard way to give a massage and complete a one hour session. Here, each person is thoroughly studied and then a massage as per the requirement of the person is given. The flow of each person's ki is analyzed to device a treatment plan.

This individualistic approach is the reason why this treatment works for the patients of sciatica. Sciatica is a symptom and can arise because of different reasons in different individuals, so how can the treatment be similar for all?

If you too are suffering from lower back pain or any other kind of muscular imbalance in your back, do consider the shiatsu massage technique. You will feel at ease and also see your pain minimizing gradually. Eventually, you will be able to get back to your normal schedule without much difficulty.