Food and weight
- Work towards a healthy weight
- If you are overweight, losing even a few kilos reduces the load on the knees, hips and lower back. Aim for steady change through regular meals and smaller portions rather than crash diets.
- Calcium and protein
- Include milk, curd, paneer, ragi, sesame, pulses, eggs or fish, depending on your diet. Muscles and bones both need enough protein and calcium.
- Vitamin D and B12
- Many people in India have low vitamin D and B12. Ask your doctor whether to test them, and take supplements only as advised.
- If you have diabetes
- Keeping blood sugar in your target range matters for nerve health. Follow the diet and medicines your doctor has advised.
Movement and posture
- Keep moving within comfort. Short daily walks are better than long rest, which tends to make stiffness worse
- Do the exercises your physiotherapist has given you regularly, not only when the pain is bad
- Set your screen at eye level and get up from the desk every 30 to 45 minutes
- Bend your knees and keep the load close to your body when lifting
- Use a chair with back support, and a western toilet if squatting hurts your knees
Sleep, heat and a pain diary
A firm mattress and a pillow that keeps the neck level help many people with back and neck pain. With sciatica, a pillow between the knees when lying on your side can ease the strain.
Keep a simple record of when the pain is worse, what you were doing, and what you took for it. This makes follow-up reviews more useful.
Do not stop or change prescribed medicines because of a diet or lifestyle change.