It is said that over 25 million Americans suffer from some sort of chronic back pain, several million of whom deal with sciatic pain on a regular basis. It’s no wonder considering that the sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body beginning in the lower back, running through the buttock, and down the leg. Its nerve endings, which are derived from spinal nerves L4, L5, S1, S2, and S3, supply almost the entirety of feeling in the skin of the leg, the muscles of the back and thigh, as well as those of the leg and foot. It is often accompanied by or precedes lumbago, and may be the first sign of a slipped or prolapsed vertebral disc.

Sciatic pain is caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. This is known as sciatica.

Some of the most common causes for sciatica include:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Irritation of the sciatic nerve during pregnancy
• Piriformis syndrome
• Spinal disc hernia
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis

Symptoms of sciatica include:

• A burning sensation in the thigh
• Cramping sensation in the thigh
• Deep, severe pain that starts on one side of the lower back
• Leg or foot numbness
• Pins and needles or a tingling sensation in the legs or thighs
• Shooting pain from the buttock down the leg

It is common for symptoms to become aggravated during movement that increases pressure on the sciatic nerve such as sneezing, coughing, laughing, squatting, or bending awkwardly or to the side.

More often than not, sciatica comes from overstraining the muscles and ligaments whether it be from daily activities, exercise, a sedentary lifestyle, sleeping on a less than suitable mattress, obesity, or lifting heavy objects all day long or with incorrect posture. Having poor posture in general is a huge factor in the development of sciatica.

One of the best preventative measure for sciatic pain includes strengthening the core muscles in order to take strain off of the back. Daily exercise and stretching is especially important for those with weak core muscles, muscle tone, and poor posture.

You can learn more about proper exercise and stretching for sciatic pain here.

Essential Oils for Sciatica

It is important to note that sciatic pain is a symptom, so treating the pain alone will not fix the root cause. When symptoms flare, it is important to take bed rest (1-2 days if possible), take a natural analgesic, and apply pain relieving and anti-inflammatory essential oils.

Essential oils can provide excellent relief from all sorts of back pain including sciatica. They penetrate deeply into the muscle tissue, encouraging tight contracted muscles to release their tension, thereby increasing blood flow to the area and allowing the body to repair itself.

When sciatic pain is too intense for massage, use the oils listed below as a cold compress to help further reduce pain and inflammation.

Some of the best essential oils for sciatica include:

• Birch
• Cajeput
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Spike lavender

Other great oils to consider are:

• Basil
• Black pepper
• Camphor
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon bark
• Clary sage
• Clove bud
• Cypress
• Eucalyptus
• German chamomile
• Helichrysum
• Juniper berry
• Lavender
• Roman chamomile
• Sweet marjoram
• Thyme linalool
• Vetiver

Diluting these oils properly and then massaging them into the back during times of less or no pain is extremely beneficial for relieving sciatica.

Massaging the points Bl 40, Bl 23, Bl 47, and Bl 54 are especially good for relieving lower back pain and sciatica.

Please refer to the below chart for the appropriate acupressure points.

Essential Oils for Sciatica – Back Pain Blends

For the blends below, things are slightly different than the usual toss everything into some carrier oil method. These blends are synergistic and the EOs are mixed in their own little bottles without carrier oil.

To use them, add each EO to an empty essential oil bottle and then add 4-5 drops of that blend to 1tsp or 1TB of carrier oil based on your needs.

DO NOT mix the total amount of EOs in the recipes below into the carrier oil or you may find them very very strong. The essential oils in these blends are known for their warming, cooling, or pain relieving effects.

Sciatica Blend #1

• 10 drops Peppermint
• 10 drops Rosemary
• 10 drops Spike Lavender

Add 4-5 drops of this blend to 1tsp of carrier oil for acute pain or to 1TB of carrier oil for little to no pain.

Sciatica Blend #2

• 2 drops marjoram
• 3 drops lavender (or spike lavender)
• 3 drops ginger
• 5 drops peppermint

Add 4-5 drops of this blend to 1tsp of carrier oil for acute pain or to 1TB of carrier oil for little to no pain.

Sciatica Blend #3

• 1 drop birch
• 1 drop cajeput
• 1 drop camphor
• 3 drops German chamomile
• 5 drops peppermint

Add 4-5 drops of this blend to 1tsp of carrier oil for acute pain or to 2TB of carrier oil for little to no pain.

Sciatica Blend #4

• 3 drops black pepper
• 3 drops juniper berry
• 5 drops eucalyptus
• 10 drops ginger

Add 4-5 drops of this blend to 1tsp of carrier oil for acute pain or to 1TB of carrier oil for little to no pain.

Sciatica Blend #5

• 3 drops marjoram
• 3 drops basil
• 4 drops lavender (or spike lavender)
• 4 drops peppermint
• 6 drops helichrysum
• 8 drops ginger
• 8 drops rosemary

Add 4-5 drops of this blend to 1tsp of carrier oil for acute pain or to 1TB of carrier oil for little to no pain.

You can use these blends 2-3 times daily for best results during times of discomfort or simple one a day for maintenance.

What have been your favorite essential oils for sciatica?

You may also enjoy:

Essential Oils for Pain Relief
Herbs for Back Pain Relief

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