7.6% of patients walking into the clinic with the complaint
of Lower- Back pain end up getting diagnosed with SCIATICA.
Everyone knows that Sciatica pain occurs due to the
irritation of Sciatic nerve – the longest nerve in the body. That’s it.....!
Everyone knows that much only.
A word about Sciatic nerve: -
- It originates from the lower spine by fusion of 5 nerves in Lumber and Sacral region.
- It starts from lower spine and goes through buttock, back of the thigh and leg, and ends in the foot.
Today, let’s learn everything about it from beginning to
end.
What is Sciatica?
- When you Google it, you will get to know what I just told you in the 2nd line of this Blog; but, why sciatic nerve gets irritated?
Causes of Sciatica: -
- Sciatic nerve can get pinched or irritated because of a bone spur – bony projection that develops along the bone edge, Herniated disk – disk between the vertebrae herniated in the spinal canal or spinal stenosis – abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal.
- Sometimes a cancerous tumor might compress the nerve or Diabetic Neuropathy can cause this pain.
Risk Factors – something that increases the likelihood of
you getting affected by the condition: -
- Increasing Age – When we age, Bone spur and Disk Herniation like issues will start to show up. These are the lead causes of Sciatica.
- Uncontrolled Diabetes – With increase in blood sugar chronically, the risk of diabetic neuropathy increases. That will lead to inflammation of Sciatic nerve and ,as a result of it, Sciatica.
- Menial Jobs – Works requiring prolonged sitting or lifting heavy load are highly likely to result in Sciatica.
- Obesity – As the weight of the body increases, so does the load on spine. That will trigger spinal changes, which can lead to Sciatica.
Symptoms of Sciatica: -
- Pain ,burning sensation, electric shock like feel or excruciating pain in the areas of distribution of the Sciatic nerve : Buttock, Thigh, Leg and Foot.
- Person may experience incontinence: - Inability to control Bladder and/or Bowel.
- Numbness or difficulty on Leg movement.
Sciatica pain occurs on the one side of the body. And
generally gets noticeable after a major accident Ex. Falling from height.
Prevention of Sciatica: -
- Regular exercise: - Working on the strength of lower back muscles and abdominal muscles will decrease the risk of Sciatica. Also, core muscle strength will improve your posture, while sitting and standing.
- Sit Properly – Certain jobs require people to sit for longer hours. They need proper chair – having neck and back support, armrest, swivel base, for that.
- Lifting cautiously – Few occupations that need to lift heavy load should take extra care. Keep the spine straight while lifting and bend from knees. Hold the weight close to the body and, if the load is too heavy, it is recommended to have a lifting partner.
Diagnosis of Sciatica: -
- When one walks into the clinic with the complaint of lower back pain, doctor asks about the symptoms he feels in leg: Numbness, Pain or weakness.
- Doctor will ask you to perform few movements like sitting or walking and ,if required, stretching movements. That will tell the Doctor if you are suffering from Sciatica or not.
- If he feels that you have Sciatica, the doctor will check telltale sign – pain radiating to the leg might be due to Chemical irritation or direct compression. That will confirm the condition.
- Imaging technique might be required: X – ray, CT scan or MRI.
- In minority of the cases, CT myelogram is required, in which a dye is injected in the spine to help take clear X – rays.
Treatment of Sciatica: -
- Most of the Sciatica cases will recover without treatment or after treatment at home only.
- Home treatment: - As
Sciatica is the disease of inflammation, reducing it will be the goal of
the treatment along with stretching to relax the nerve. That could be done
by Exercise, stretching or Physiotherapy.
- Special treatment: - Limited bed rest – Three day complete bed rest will usually work best for Sciatica. C/H therapy – starting with cold application and ,after 2-3 days, heat application will help relieve the Sciatica pain.
- Medical Treatment: - NSAID – Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are prescribed like ibuprofen and naproxen for pain relief.
- Surgical therapy: - As a last treatment option, the disk that is pressing over the Sciatic nerve is removed surgically.
That’s it...! A to Z about Sciatica...
For any Questions Leave a Comment Below....!