Everything you need to know about Sciatica
Sciatica is the pain that occurs due to the irritation of the sciatic nerve which is the
longest nerve in the body. It is caused when a nerve in the lower spine has been
compressed. It is a symptom that you will experience at some point in your life. A
slipped disc is the most common cause of the symptom. Having the knowledge of the
condition will help you get sciatica pain treatment on time before it becomes worse.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about sciatica.
Symptoms
When you have sciatic, you will experience a shooting pain in the sciatic nerve. Other
symptoms are tingling sensation the feet and numbness in the leg that is along the
sciatic nerve. The pain can become worse when you sit for long periods.
Treatments
Chronic and acute sciatica are treated differently. Treatment for acute sciatica is selfcare measures such as exercises, over the counter medicines and hot or cold
compression packs. All these will help in reducing the pain. However, not all the
painkillers are meant for everyone and you need to review your options before you
start using the sciatica back pain treatment.
For the chronic symptom involves the use of both medical treatment and self-care
measures. Some of the treatments include physical therapy, cognitive behavioral
therapy and the use of painkillers. Sciatic nerve pain surgery can be used if the
symptoms are not responding to the medications. The surgical options are discectomy
and lumbar laminectomy. The surgeon will determine the risk and benefits of the
surgery before choosing the appropriate one.
Causes
Sciatica is a symptom of different medical conditions. However, the main cause is due
to the slipped disk. Below are some of the causes of sciatica.
Lumbar spinal stenos is which is the narrowing of the spinal cord in the lower back
Spondylolisthesis when the disc slips forward over the lower back
Tumor in the spine
Infection
Cauda equina syndrome
Risk factor
People who have a high risk of getting sciatica are those in their 30s and 40s, people
working in jobs where they carry heavy things for long and people who sit for long
periods without any physical activity.
Prevention
There are some cases when you can prevent sciatica. You can make lifestyle changes.
You can do regular exercises and sit in proper postures when you are sitting upright,
standing or lifting objects. By doing these, you will no doubt reduce your chances of
sciatica.
Diagnosis
Acute sciatica has mild symptoms and it does not last for more than 4-8 weeks; acute
sciatica does not require any kind of medical attention. The patient history will help
in diagnosis. In case the pain goes longer than the 4-8 weeks, then it is requires MRI
or X-ray to diagnose the symptoms.
There you go everything that you should know about sciatica. You are now better
informed and can identify if you or someone close to you is suffering from this
problem. You also know what to take for sciatica pain without going to see a
doctor.