What foods should be avoided with sciatica?

Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
Updated on February 22, 2025
00:00
00:00

Patients with sciatic nerve pain should be cautious with their diet in daily life. Avoid consuming spicy and stimulating foods such as chili peppers and black pepper. Avoid high-fat, high-calorie foods such as fatty meats, barbecued and fried foods. Also, reduce the intake of foods high in sugar like various pastries and sweets, as these foods are detrimental to health. Patients with sciatic nerve pain should eat more foods rich in high-quality protein and vitamins such as milk, eggs, beans, chicken, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruits. These foods are beneficial to health.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
1min 1sec home-news-image

What is the fastest way to treat sciatica?

When pain occurs in the sciatic nerve, the first thing we need to consider is whether it is caused by degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Accompanied by the rupture of the fibrous ring, it protrudes and compresses the nerve root, causing pain and numbness in the lower limbs, and even limited mobility. Once sciatic nerve pain occurs, it is essential to identify the cause so that treatment can begin as soon as possible. If it is due to degeneration of the intervertebral disc, early stages can involve back exercises and appropriate medication to alleviate these symptoms. For example, sleeping on a firm bed, wearing a lumbar support during activities, minimizing sitting time, or avoiding bending over to pick things up. Additionally, you can perform exercises like the "bird flying" and the "plank bridge" for back muscle training to help reduce pain symptoms. If these do not alleviate the pain, pain relief or anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed for symptomatic treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
50sec home-news-image

Where to perform moxibustion for sciatica

Typical sciatica, in addition to soreness and numbness in the buttocks, is accompanied by sensory abnormalities in the back of the thigh, the back of the calf, the lateral muscles, and the foot. Thus, the location for moxibustion treatment spans from the buttocks to the thigh and calf, targeting corresponding traditional Chinese medicine acupoints progressively. This can alleviate, to some extent, the sensory abnormalities in the buttocks and lower limbs caused by sciatica. It is recommended to concurrently take oral medications that nourish the nerves to collectively reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness. If there is no significant relief after two to four weeks of treatment, it is advised to revisit the hospital for further examination and treatment. Hospitalization for systematic treatment may be necessary.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xie Yi Song
Orthopedics
1min 13sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of sciatica?

Sciatica refers to the pain caused by the sciatic nerve due to various reasons, such as compression from spinal diseases or simply sciatica itself, and it is inherently a symptom. What are the characteristics of this symptom? Sciatica can occur on one side or both sides simultaneously. When it occurs, the pain is usually continuous and can have episodic exacerbations. The pain is often dull, stabbing, burning, or like a knife-cutting sensation. It radiates from the buttocks along the back of the thigh and the outer back of the lower leg toward the foot. Clinically, sciatica is divided into secondary and primary types. Secondary pain is due to compression of the sciatic nerve root, commonly seen in conditions like lumbar disc herniation and other spinal disorders. It often accompanies percussion pain in the lumbar spine, and the pain may worsen with coughing, sneezing, or bending, and severe cases may experience numbness in the skin of the lower limbs. Primary sciatica refers to simple inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This type generally presents pain in the buttocks and back of the thigh and usually does not involve percussion pain in the lumbar spine.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Lv Yao
Orthopedics
37sec home-news-image

Which department should I go to for sciatica?

For sciatic nerve pain, it is recommended to first consult an orthopedic or spinal surgery specialist. Initially, it is important to determine the cause of the pain, such as whether it is caused by a herniated disc pressing on the nerve root. If it is confirmed that the pain is not caused by a herniated disc pressing on the nerve root, and it is purely sciatic nerve pain, you can then visit a pain management clinic to check for potential issues like piriformis syndrome. In essence, start with an orthopedic consultation to rule out orthopedic conditions. If no orthopedic issues are found, then consult a pain management specialist.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
59sec home-news-image

What should I do about sciatica?

For sciatica, absolute bed rest is initially required, ideally lasting three weeks. If three weeks is not possible, at least one week is necessary. Secondly, continual traction is used, which can widen the intervertebral space, reduce the internal disk pressure, and potentially expand the spinal canal, thereby alleviating stimulation and compression of the nerve roots. Thirdly, you can take some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or some traditional Chinese medicines, many of which contain pain-relieving ingredients. Fourthly, consider undergoing physical therapy, including physiotherapy, acupressure, and massage. Fifthly, intradiscal injections, intradiscal blockade, or catheter blockade can be considered. Sixthly, chemical dissolution of the nucleus pulposus can be considered. Thus, these are the basic treatment methods for sciatica.