Sciatica Pain- Causes and Treatments
Sciatica pain is the one being felt in the sciatica nerve. The sciatic nerve is found at the back of the human leg. Usually, the symptoms of the pain in the sciatica would include a pain in the leg, tingling sensation, weakness, and numbness, which is usually originating from the lower back and can even affect the buttocks down to the leg and even to the feet.
Persons or any individual who are experiencing such pain gets better in time. Sometimes, it takes weeks before the pain really heals or gets better than before. In some instances, it even takes months before the pain leaves away the body.
Sciatica pain can lead to a severe condition and even a debilitating one. That is why it is also essential to apply certain treatments or medications on it before worse come to worst. It is also important to visit your doctor for proper medication as well as advice on how to handle tour situation.
Every individual should also be aware of this kind of pain. Yes, there are signs and symptoms of which you can determine that you are experiencing pain in the sciatica nerve.
The symptoms of this would include pain on only one side of the buttock, pain in one leg that it gets worse when sited, burning or tingling sensation down the leg, weakness, numbness, and difficulty while moving the leg or the foot.
These are only some of the symptoms that can be felt during or before the onset of the pain. It is also important to know some simple tips or guides on how to relieve pain of sciatica or to treat this kind of pain. If it is not applied with treatment or medication, then discomfort as well as uneasiness may follow.
Sciatica pain may somehow also be a burden on the part of the patient or the individual who are often experiencing it. Symptoms such as constant pain in one side of the rear, sharp pain that may cause standing or walking to be more difficult, are the ones to be experienced by the individual who are frequently experiencing this pain.
Radiculopathy is the term used in describing the clinical diagnosis of this kind of pain. This simply means that there is a certain disc which has protruded in its normal position which is located in the vertebral column. With this, the pressure is on the radicular nerve or the nerve root which can be located in the lower back of the human body.
Sciatica pain is majorly caused by a protruded disc in the vertebral column which has a connection to the sciatic nerve. With this, the pain really affects the nerves connected to it. Most often than not, the pain is in the back down to the lower part of the leg and sometimes, may even be on the foot.
Medical experts want to explain to every individual that sciatica is one of the symptoms of an essential problem or issue within the lower back of the body. It simply means that sciatica is not a medical finding, rather, a symptom to a major problem in the lower back of the body.
The possible major problem if you are experiencing a pain in the sciatica is that, a herniated disc or one of the spinal stenosis is compressing or is irritating the roots of the nerves. This is very crucial and should be aware of so as to know what to treat first.
Sciatica pain usually occurs on persons who are at their adultery age. People with thirty (30) to fifty (50) years of age ay often suffer from such symptom. This happens because as people ages, their body structures as that of the bones also degenerates.
This is what we call as the wear and tear stage of person. Of course, we cannot control aging, but we can somehow decrease the degeneration of our body structures as well as organs by having a healthy and fit lifestyle.
The spinal column of a person tends to degenerate as the person ages too. That is why as early as teenagers, they are already advised to take good care of their spinal columns so as not to acquire pains or diseases related to it.
The first one to degenerate is the lower back of the spinal column. This tends to bend that is why some of the aged or adult people are bending as they age. This could be treated and can be given physical therapies as long as it is not that late to treat it.
The pain in the sciatica is often a result of the irritated sciatic nerve. The lower portion of the back is often the target of the pain. It is in the lumbar area where the pain usually originates. With this, the pain may radiate down to the legs and behind the thigh.
The sciatica nerve is the largest nerve of the human body. This is located in the lower lumbar of the spinal cord which is in the lower back portion and extends all throughout the buttock area. This nerve is the one which sends the nerve endings down to the lower limb of the body.
Sciatica pain is also often called as the sciatic nerve pain. As it was stated above, this kind of pain is not a medical diagnosis but a symptom to a major problem related to the lower back of the spinal column. Causes of this pain would include pinched nerve from a protruded disc, tumors, muscles, internal bleeding, injury, infection, irritation, and other possible causes of this.
In some instances, pregnant women may also experience this pain because of irritation in the lower back or the lumbar area of the spinal column. Other causes would also include lumbar herniated disc. This means that the inner soft core of the disc in the spinal column leaks throughout the outer fibrous core of the spinal disc.
Sciatica pain is also caused by the so called lumbar spinal stenosis. This is a condition occurring during the narrowing of the spinal canal within the spinal column. This spinal stenosis commonly occurs on people who are on their 60’s.
Most of the adults are experiencing this because their body structure tends to degenerate too. This is natural when aging process occurs. During this situation, the spinal column also experiences enlarged facet joints, bulging discs, overgrowth of the soft tissue, and pressure on the nerve roots causing pain.
Another cause of the sciatica is the so called degenerative disc disease. As it was stated above, degeneration occurs when people gets old or reaches its adultery stage. This is but natural in human beings. With this, expect that the body built of an old person weakens and is already prone to various pains and diseases.
Isthmic spondylolisthesis is another cause to this kind of pain. This happens when the small stress fracture permits one vertebral body to trip onward on another vertebral body. With this, there will be a compression of the spinal discs causing pain and irritate the nerves connected to it.
Another cause to this kind of pain includes the so called piriformis syndrome. With this, the sciatic nerve is being irritated as this nerve runs through the piriformis muscle. During the pain, the piriformis muscles pinch the nerve root which causes the pain.
Another major cause of this pain in the sciatica is sacroiliac joint dysfunction. This means that the sacroiliac is being irritated. The joint is located in the bottom of the spinal column. All the stated causes are the major causes of the pain. Other causes would also include pregnancy, muscle strain, scar tissue, spinal tumor, and infection.
Sciatica pain can be diagnosed with the help of the medical expert. This is done with the use of the physical exam as well as the review of the medical history. During the diagnosis or the examination, x-rays, CT scan, films, MRI scan, and eletromyogram are being used to have a detailed diagnosis of the pain.
Treatments and medications are now made available to ease the symptoms as well the irritating pain of this said sciatica. Sometimes, people who are experiencing the pain may no longer need to aid or to take medications of this because it can heal on its own.
Yes, it definitely heals without even applying treatments or medications but it may take long time like weeks or months. But it is also important to be aware of the pain so as to avoid making the situation of the pain comes to worst.
Sciatica pain can be treated in many ways if the symptom is frequent or has not been healing in time. Physical therapy can be applied in this kind of situation. Surgery may also be applied but to a selected case only where in the pain is so constant that medications as well as therapies may not already be applicable.
Non- surgical ways on treating sciatica may also be applicable as long as it has been recommended by the medical expert or your personal doctor or you therapist. For the acute symptom of the pain, one could apply heat or ice packs on the pain.
Sciatica pain on an acute level may be treated with the help of ice packs or applied heat onto the pain. Medications would also be taken like pain relievers or the ones recommended by the doctor. Non- steroidal and anti- inflammatory drugs can be of help.
Some of these medications would include ibuprofen, naproxen, and COX-2 inhibitors. Orals steroids can also be an aid to the sciatica. Epidural steroid injections for sciatica are also a help in alleviating the symptoms caused by this pain.