SCIATICA
Sciatica is quite common and affects almost 25-30% of adults. Sciatica pain traverses through the sciatic nerve, that starts in your lower back and extends to run through your hips, buttocks, legs, and feet on both the sides. This is the most distinctive sign of sciatica pain. The nerve pain primarily occurs due to irritation of the sciatic nerve. A proper sciatica diagnosis and the best sciatica treatment is all that you need to lead a pain-free life.
Before knowing about sciatica treatment, one needs to understand that no two sciatic pain episodes are similar as they range from annoying dull pain to excruciating pain. The sciatic pain is generally felt more severely in your leg than your lower back.
The symptoms of sciatica are as follows: –
- Calf pain – pain that stretches down the lower leg and back of the knee.
- Lower back pain running down the leg
- A pull sensation from your lower back to buttocks and thigh, that further extends from calf to the foot.
- A pain in your buttocks or legs that worsens while prolonged sitting
- Numbness in your leg or foot
- Tingling sensation in your extremity (lower body)
- Persistent pain on one side of your butt
- Muscle weakness in the distressful leg or foot
- Shooting pain down the leg which makes it tough to stand up or extend the knee
- Pain in one part of the leg while numbness in another part
- A sensation of pins and needles only in toes or feet
Early Symptoms Of Sciatica
Sciatica starts in the back. However, occasionally, pain may start at the hip or knee; which may not look like sciatica. You may feel isolated symptoms like feet numbness, knee pain, buttock pain, tingling, etc. After prolonged sitting, when the person gets up, they tend to hunch forward.
Mostly, the condition starts as back pain and when the nerve gets compressed more, and if the back pain is left untreated then it can progress to sciatica.
The most common sciatica cause is a herniated disc (or slipped disc) or a pinched nerve. Due to injury or degeneration, the vertebra may slip forward or discs may weaken and slip backwards over time and as a consequence, the nerves get compressed. Let’s know in detail about Sciatica causes. It can be caused due to different conditions listed below: –
- Herniated or slipped disc – Discs are the cushions between each vertebra of the spine and pressure from them can cause the disc to bulge out, which applies pressure on the sciatic nerve.
- Deconditioned or weak spinal muscles.
- Spinal canal stenosis – abnormal narrowing of spinal canal i.e. the part of the spine where the nerve passes through, that pinches the sciatic nerve roots as they exit the spine.
- Spondylolisthesis – when one of the vertebrae in your spine slips out of position, narrowing the opening through which the nerve exits.
- Degenerative spine – wear and tear of spine structures which may irritate the sciatic nerve.
- Piriformis syndrome – an uncommon neuromuscular condition that happens when the piriformis muscle becomes tight, puts pressure, and irritates the sciatic nerve.
- Back injury
- During or post-pregnancy
- Lifestyle factors such as wearing high heels frequently, obesity, professions that demand prolonged sitting or repetitive bending and lifting.
Diagnosing the root cause of sciatica is the first step to the sciatica pain treatment. The spine specialist will go through your detailed medical history and check your spine which helps in drawing the diagnosis.
For an accurate Sciatica diagnosis, the following examination will be conducted by your doctor:
- Physical examination
- Neurological examination
- Assessment for muscle strength, decreased or abnormal sensation and reflexes
- Nerve tests
X-ray
- CT Scan
- MRI
How VerteCare Spine Diagnoses Sciatica?
By a detailed medical history, examination and tests (if needed)
Diagnosing the root cause of sciatica is the first step to the sciatica pain treatment. The spine specialist will go through your detailed medical history and check your spine which helps in drawing the diagnosis.
For an accurate Sciatica diagnosis, the following examination will be conducted by your doctor:
- Physical examination
- Neurological examination
- Assessment for muscle strength, decreased or abnormal sensation and reflexes
- Nerve tests
X-ray
- CT Scan
- MRI
How VerteCare Spine Diagnoses Sciatica?
By a detailed medical history, examination and tests (if needed)
Sciatica FAQs
Sciatica is the pain that radiates along the path of sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body. Usually, pain develop on one side of the body, which typically originates in the lower back and extends to the legs. Sometimes, it can affect both the legs.
Basically, sciatica pain happens due to an injury or irritation to the sciatic nerve. It is commonly caused due to a slipped disc or herniated disc that puts pressure on the nerve root. When a nerve in your lower back gets compressed, irritated, or pinched, it results in sciatica.
A typical episode of sciatica may last for several weeks. Sciatica can be acute or chronic. An acute episode may last between 1-2 weeks and gets resolved in a few weeks.
Typical symptoms are low back pain, leg pain, buttock pain, weakness, numbness, pain with movement, and decreased range of motion.
Avoid sitting or lying down for a long period of time. Move frequently even if it hurts, as it helps you to get better faster.
Continue doing your normal day-to-day activities as much as possible.
Place a firm cushion or pillow under your knees while lying on your back and place it in between your knees when sleeping on our side.
If the person works under severe physical stress environment then, the chances of recurrence are high. However, many factors are responsible for whether a person will have sciatica occurrence more than once. Sciatica may re-occur if the spinal disc that first contributed to sciatica is severely damaged. If the disc is damaged more then, more likely it will re-herniate and result in sciatica again.
