Your body relies on a complex network of nerves. They help you feel, enable your movement and control important processes like your heart rate and digestion. 

They also relay pain signals, though. And when one of them runs into a problem, it can cause you a whole world of discomfort. 

Take your sciatic nerves as an example. You have two sciatic nerves, one running from the low back down each of your legs. These nerves as the longest and thickest in your entire body. So when something goes wrong with either sciatic nerve, your body lets you know. 

Issues with one or both sciatic nerves land you with a sciatica diagnosis. Fortunately, understanding this condition — and knowing how to treat it with options like a percussion massager — can go a long way. 

Understanding sciatica

You develop sciatica when something negatively affects your sciatic nerve. That could be things like:

• A herniated disc
• A bone spur
• A tumor 
• Injury
• Diabetes
• Osteoarthritis

While sciatica can develop from a variety of causes, the symptoms are generally the same. 

You’ll usually feel lower back pain that radiates down one leg. (Most people feel sciatica on one side of the body, but it is possible to have sciatica pain down both legs at once.) In some cases, you’ll feel pain from your buttock all the way down to one foot. Severe sciatica might also come with muscle weakness or numbness. 

Clearly, sciatica isn’t ideal. But the good news is that many people heal from this condition with at-home care. The even better news? Getting that care is easier than ever before thanks to percussion massagers. 

Using a percussion massager to find relief

Doctors have long recommended massage as a treatment for sciatica. But that used to be tricky. They recommended somewhat awkward solutions like duct-taping two tennis balls together, tiring ones like using your own hands to try to reach around and massage the affected area, or expensive ones like regular massage therapy. 

Fortunately, getting a percussion massager can make your life — and getting the relief you need — easier. With a massage gun, you can get all of the benefits of massage faster more easily, and more affordably, right from the comfort of your home.

With a percussion massager, you can help your sciatica by:

• Relaxing muscle tension, alleviating pressure on your sciatic nerve
• Improving circulation in the area, helping your body heal
• Releasing endorphins, which help you feel better naturally
• Reducing cortisol, the stress hormone in your body that can worsen pain

To use your percussion massager for sciatica relief, apply it to your:

• Lower back
• Glutes
• Hamstrings
• Calves

A couple of minutes on each area should be enough to stimulate your body’s healing response in the area while soothing tension. 

The only caveat here is that you shouldn’t necessarily dig your massage gun into your piriformis. This can irritate the nerves there, making your sciatica pain worse. 

To find the right percussion massager for you, explore your options. Whichever massage gun you choose, you’ll be bringing doctor-recommended sciatica treatment right into your home.