What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is not a specific disease, instead it is a condition characteristic of several different diseases. Simply put, it is a mild to intense pain in the left or right leg. Sciatica is caused by a compression of one or more of the five sets of nerve roots in the lower back. These compressions are typically caused by a disc rupture or bone spur in the lumbar spine. It causes pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs. This is referred to as radiculopathy. If the nerve root causing the problem is in the neck it is called cervical radiculopathy. Sciatica is called a lumbar radiculopathy since it occurs in the lower back.

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There are six typical causes of Sciatica.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is usually found at birth, early childhood or acquired from physical trauma such as weightlifting. It is a disorder that most often affects the lumbar spine. Spondylolisthesis is characterized by one vertebra slipping forward over an adjacent vertebra. Often sciatic leg pain is caused when a nerve root compresses due to the vertebra being displaced and slipping.

Piriformis Syndrome

Due to the lack of MRI or x-ray findings, it may be difficult to diagnose and treat piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle connects to the thighbone, assists in hip rotation and is located in the lower part of the spine. When muscle spasms develop in the piriformis muscle thereby compressing the sciatic nerve, Piriformis syndrome develops. The sciatic nerve runs beneath the piriformis muscle. Piriformis syndrome is named for the piriformis muscle and the pain caused when the muscle irritates the sciatic nerve.

Lumbar Bulging or Herniated Disc

When the nucleus breaks through the annulus a herniated disc occurs. It is called a ‘non-contained’ disc disorder. A bulging disc is also known as a contained disc disorder. This means the nucleus pulposus (gel-like center) remains ‘contained’ within the annulus fibrosus (tire-like outer wall) of the disc. Because a herniated disc is a ‘non-contained’ disc disorder, the consequences of a herniated disc are worse. Whether a disc or herniates or bulges, disc material can press against an adjacent nerve root and compress delicate nerve tissue and cause sciatica.

Irritation and nerve compression cause pain and inflammation often leading to extremity tingling, muscle weakness and numbness. The disc material itself also contains an acidic, chemical irritant (hyaluronic acid) that causes nerve inflammation. The herniated nucleus causes direct compression of the nerve root against the interior of the bony spinal canal.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The condition of spinal stenosis results in the spinal canal narrowing. The narrowing causes pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Common in patients over the age of 50 and with causes that are not clear, spinal stenosis has two different types frequently described.

A common complaint of spinal stenosis patients is leg pain which gets worse with walking. Another complaint is back pain. Sitting and bending can sometimes alleviate these pains.

There is one type of spinal stenosis that exists where individuals are born with a narrow spinal canal. In people that have this condition even minor structural changes to the spine can cause severe spinal stenosis.

Spinal stenosis related to age is the more commonly acquired form. This form of the stenosis condition may cause various spinal components to sag or bulge from arthritis. Discs, joints, and ligaments can be affected.

These changes, which occur with age, can have the effect of narrowing the spinal canal and thus trigger spinal stenosis pain.

Spinal Tumors

Spinal tumors can be benign or malignant, but are fairly rare. They cause sciatica due to pressure on the disc.

Trauma

Another cause of sciatica is trauma caused by accidents. The impact may injure nerves or cause fragments of bone to compress the nerves (lumbar or sacral spinal nerve roots)

If you think you may be suffering from sciatica, be sure and contact your physician to get a proper diagnosis!

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Sciatica Exercises – An Effective Remedy for Spine Trouble

Sciatica refers to the pain caused by the compression or irritation in the nerves at the lower end of the spine. Sciatica is also known as radiculopathy, which refers to the extension of the spinal disc beyond the normal position, resulting in the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Such a condition can often result in pain in the back and legs. The best remedy for the treatment of this kind of pain is sciatica exercises. It is often believed that bed rest helps in such a condition. However, inactivity usually worsens the pain in sciatica patients.

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Lack of movement weakens the back muscles and the spinal structures, thus resulting in increased pressure on the back and consequently more pain. Sciatica exercises are very important for health and fitness of the human back and spine.

Sciatica exercises focus on strengthening the abdominal and back muscles. These exercises include stretching, which helps in improving the flexibility of the back muscles, resulting in reduced pain. Doctors recommend different exercises for sciatica patients, depending on the cause of sciatica, which can also occur due to serious medical conditions such as an infection or tumor.

One has to do these exercises regularly and in a proper manner in order to derive maximum benefit.

Exercising regularly not only helps in the treatment of sciatica-related pain, but also helps in the prevention of any such problems in the future. The most common sciatica exercises that are recommended for the treatment of sciatica-related pain are the Hamstring stretching exercises. The hamstrings are the muscles located in the back of the thigh and help in bending the knee. You must also perform exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles in order to get relief from the sciatica pain.

 

Easing the Pain of Sciatica

When standing up becomes a great difficulty and causes excruciating pain, or a mere sitting down can make the pain unbearably worse, chances are, it’s sciatica. Most likely, a person is suffering from sciatica when he or she experiences tremendous pain even while doing simple body movements. Sciatica or sciatic nerve pain is a condition in which the sciatic nerves in the body become inflamed.

Sciatic nerves are found beginning at the lower spine and continue down the buttocks area, back of the legs, and into the feet. Symptoms of sciatica is characterized by a light tingling feeling or burning sensation to a full blown shooting pain that travels from the lower back, buttocks area, back of legs, and/or feet. More often than not, sciatic nerve pain affects only one side, although it could also be possible to run down both legs. Sciatica could be a frightening experience especially if you do not realize what is happening. One may begin to feel like becoming nearly crippled. However, most of the time, sciatica can be treated effectively.

Sciatica may occur when the nerve in the lower spine is pinched, or if there is a slipped disk. Arthritis or a sprained ligament will narrow the passageways of the nerves which may cause the nerve endings to become tender and inflamed. Other causes of sciatica, however rare, include an abscess, growth, or blood clot. Since sciatic nerve pain is caused by pressure and inflammation on the nerve root, sciatic pain relief treatment is generally focused on relieving both of these symptoms through surgical or non-surgical methods.

Non-surgical sciatic pain relief treatment may include one or a combination of medical treatments and alternative, non-medical treatments. Most of the time, it includes some form of exercise and stretching. If you are experiencing sciatica, it advisable to stay off your feet for the first few days. One of the things you must avoid is to get up and down repeatedly as this will only cause the nerve to become more irritated. Though some quarters pose questions on the benefits of bed rest, it is still advisable at least for the first few days.

It may also feel soothing to soak in warm baths to ease the pain. However, do not use heating pads while the nerve is inflamed. Prolonged heat will draw the inflammation in and will keep the swelling high. Rather, most healthcare professionals would advise the application of ice packs directly on the lower back area for 20 minutes at a time, every couple of hours. This may feel a little uncomfortable, but the cold packs will greatly help in reducing the swelling. Using mineral ice is also a good alternative in soothing the pain and offers a temporary sciatic relief.

Though some doctors may prescribe muscle relaxants for temporary relief of pain, caution is advised to prevent unnecessary side effects. Some medications can be addictive, or may give a false sense of feeling better.

Massage therapy is another method that is considered to be a highly effective non-surgical sciatic pain relief treatment. Massage treatments can keep your spine in better alignment for longer periods of time. As soon as your back begins to heal, your doctor may give you stretching and low impact exercises so that your muscles won’t stiffen too much. Be sure to engage in exercise only when your doctors approve it.

Alternative sciatic pain relief treatments that you might find available and helpful are acupressure, acupuncture, herbal therapies, homeopathy, biofeedback, and guided imagery to name just a few.

Surgical methods to remove the portion of the disc that is irritating the nerve root are microdiscectomy or lumbar laminectomy, and discectomy. Surgery helps relieve both the pressure and the inflammation especially if the sciatic nerve pain is severe and has not been relieved through medical treatments.

Low Back Pain Affecting Your Life And Work

The low back pain is the second most common ailment affecting 80% of the general United States population at some point in life. The pain may either be acute or chronic and is usually caused by a variety of diseases and disorders of the lumbar spine. Low Back pain is usually accompanied by sciatica. Sciatica is a pain that involves the sciatic nerve and affects the lower back, the back of the thighs and buttocks.

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Causes and Symptoms of Low back pain

The patient of low back pain may experience two types of pain, primarily – acute and chronic.

The pain is symptomatic and can be caused by the following reasons:

Acute Pain:

A sprain or a muscle tear, which can be aggravated by heavy lifting or extended use of back muscles within 24 hours of the injury, leading to muscle spasms or soreness. Usually improves when you provide rest to the affected area.

Chronic Pain:

This pain may have several causes like –

1.Mechanical Obesity, pregnancy, bad postures while bending, or stooping causes strain on the lower back muscles.

2.Malignancy Low back pain that is not relieved even after a night’s rest, maybe caused by a tumor in the cauda equine (the roots of the spinal nerves controlling sensation in and movement of the legs), or cancer of the prostate, breasts or lungs, maybe caused because of a history of smoking, sudden weight loss or old age.

3.Herniated Spinal Disk When the spinal disk begins to bulge outward between the vertebrae. This is a common cause of chronic back pain in adults.

4.Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain caused while lying down or sitting; improves when the patient starts moving, is commonly seen in males between the age group of 16-35 years.

5.Psychogenic Back pain which may be induced due to an exaggerated minor injury or that may be usually prolonged leading to somatoform disorder or other psychiatric disturbances.

6.Lower Back Pain with Leg Involvement When the back pain radiates down the leg, the sciatic nerve is usually irritated by herniated disks, tumors of the cauda equina, abscesses in the space between the spinal cord and its covering, spinal stenosis, and compression fractures. Some patients may also experience weakness or lack of feeling, along with pain in the leg.

What is Sciaticia, and why does it cause so much pain?

Sciatica is compression on a pinched nerve. It can lead to pain, weakness or a tingling sensation from the back of the buttocks, down to the leg or calf, and in some cases reaches down to the feet and toes. In some cases Sciatica can be a sign of a more serious problem with the spine.

Symptoms can flare up when pressure is applied from the discs onto the roots that form the sciatic nerve. The nerve runs down the back of each leg from the lower back.  This causes damage and inflammation in the affected area.  Pressure on the sciatic nerve is normally caused by a disc herniation or slipped disc.  If you are sufferring with back, neck or leg pain, tale your first step to recovery now.. take a look at the popular sciatica sos book by health consultant Glen Johnson.