Treatment options for sciatica are many and varied, but you should first be sure that what you are feeling is really the effect of sciatic nerve pain.  If you confirm that your symptoms are related to the sciatic nerve on either your left or your right side, begin by taking the pressure off where you feel the pain.  If standing or walking are painful, see if a horizontal position helps.  Some doctors prescribe bed rest, but various studies have proven that total bed rest may not really speed up your recovery.

Gentle and slow stretching exercises can help reduce many types of sciatica, including those caused by bad posture, uneven weightlifting, or repeated motions.  By stretching your lower back and holding the stretch for a few counts, you can separate the vertebrae to reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve at the base of the spine.

Some sciatica sufferers use hot packs or heating lamps for 15 or 20 minutes, or warm showers, several times a day.  This helps relax the inflamed nerve in many cases.  Some people feel more relief with an ice pack on the same area, since this may reduce the swelling.  Try both, and even alternate them, to see which works best you.

Medication is often used, particularly in severe cases of sciatica.  There are numerous options of painkillers and muscle relaxants, both over the counter and by prescription.  Be aware of side effects from some of these options, as well as the problems with long term use of some of these medicines.  In some cases, a doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory.  Always inform the doctor of all the medications you are taking, and know what to do in the case of side effects.

Many alternative treatments exist for back pain.  Properly tailored stretching exercises, when done properly, can alleviate the pain.  Experienced chiropractors can manipulate the spine to temporarily release the pressure which is affecting the sciatic nerve. Beware of twisting, bouncing and jerking motions, and also of inexperienced chiropractors, since serious damage can result form an incorrect intervention to the spine.

Acupuncture is widely used to relieve many different kinds of pain, including sciatica.  By inserting thin, stainless steel needles, which have been duly disinfected, into very specific nerve centers on your body, an experienced acupuncture therapist can help you manage the pain messages which your body is sending to your brain.  Similarly, through hypnosis a therapist can re-program your brain to lessen the intensity of the pain it perceives.

In all of these therapies, though, it is important to remember that you are only treating the symptom; you are not treating the cause.  To treat the cause, you must identify what triggered the pain.  Now that you are in pain, you must take precautions to avoid worsening the condition.  Do not strain your back by lifting; do not walk or run, if it hurts; do not sit for extended periods of time, if it hurts.  The natural process of healing of sciatica will take a number of weeks.