How medicines are chosen
Medicines are chosen from the full case: where the pain is, what it feels like, what makes it better or worse, the symptoms that come with it, and the person’s general and emotional state. Two people with sciatica can be given different remedies. The doctor may prescribe one medicine or a combination of medicines, depending on your complaints and treatment plan.
The descriptions below come from homeopathic materia medica. They describe symptom pictures and make no promise about what a remedy will do for you.
Remedies often considered
- Rhus toxicodendron
- Considered when stiffness and pain are worse on first moving after rest and ease with continued gentle movement. It is associated with restlessness, and with pain that is worse in cold, damp weather and better with warmth.
- Bryonia alba
- Associated with joint pain that is worse with the slightest movement and better with complete rest and firm pressure. The person prefers to lie still, and the joint may feel hot and swollen.
- Colocynthis
- Considered in sciatica with cramping or shooting pain down the leg, often on the left side. The pain is described as easing with firm pressure, warmth and drawing the leg up, and sometimes follows anger or vexation.
- Magnesia phosphorica
- Associated with sudden, shooting or cramping nerve pains that come and go, often on the right side. The pain is described as much better with heat and pressure, and worse with cold and touch.
- Hypericum perfoliatum
- Considered for shooting pain along a nerve after injury to an area rich in nerves, such as the tailbone, spine, fingers or toes. It is associated with tingling and burning that travels up the limb.
- Ruta graveolens
- Associated with a bruised, sore feeling in tendons, ligaments and the coverings of bones, after strain or overuse. It is described in wrist, knee and lower back pain that is worse from sitting and cold.