As you suffer from sciatica, your doctor’s instructions for relieving your sciatic pain are vital. However, it is equally essential that you be proactive in your own health treatment plan. There are many lifestyle choices that can have a positive impact on sciatic nerve pain. Some of these include hydrotherapy, exercises, stretching, and diet. What we take out of our bodies is equivalent to what we put into our bodies. In the case of sciatic nerve treatment, it has been found that foods rich in potassium have been able to help prevent sciatic pain. However, it cannot be stressed enough that you do not want to overload your body with potassium, as excessive potassium intake carries health risks. So, if you find that the foods below are already in abundance in your daily diet, you may want to consider doing some research on other types of foods to relieve sciatic pain (such as anti-inflammatory foods or organic foods).
How potassium helps in the treatment of the sciatic nerve:
When looking for an effective way to treat sciatic nerve pain, increasing potassium-rich foods can be a very beneficial and simple change. Potassium regulates muscle contractions, by doing so it can relieve severe muscle pain associated with sciatica. In the case of sciatic nerve treatment, a person without a sufficient amount of potassium in their system has nothing to help against the random and painful spasms associated with sciatica. It is recommended that adult men and women consume 4.7 grams of potassium per day. Pregnant women should also consume 4.7 grams daily, while breastfeeding women should consume 5.1 grams daily. As long as you monitor your potassium intake, you should be able to incorporate this dietary change on your own. Wait a week or two to notice a change. A good idea would be to keep a diary of how much potassium you have consumed and what food source you got it from, as well as how you feel. Please do not exceed the RDAs for potassium without consulting your sciatic nerve pain management physician for guidance. For your convenience, we have included the recommended food intake per meal to see the results.
The following potassium-rich foods have been found to be beneficial in treating sciatic nerve pain:
- Apricots = dried, 10 halves
- Avocados = 1 ounce
- Bananas = 1 cup
- Beets = cooked, 1 cup
- Melon = 1 cup
- Green melons = 1 cup
- Kiwi = raw, 1 medium
- Broad beans = 1 cup
- Nectarines = raw, 1
- Orange juice = 1 cup
- Oranges = raw, 1
- Peanuts = (dried, roasted, without salt), 1 ounce
- Pears = raw, 1
- Potatoes = baked, 1
- tomato products
- Winter squash = 1 cup
- Yogurt = plain, 1 cup
- Skim milk = 8 ounces