|
|
|
|
The Sciatic nerve pain, which is more than often shortened to a medical condition called Sciatica, entails symptoms of pain in the leg, little or strong numbness that begins in the lower back and then goes down to the buttock and towards the back of the leg. Generally, sciatica is believed to affect only one side of the lower body, with the pain extending from the lower back all the way to the back of the thigh and down through the back of the leg. This pain is likely to further extend to the foot or the toes depending on where the sciatic nerve has been affected, hence differing from one person to the other.
Characterized by more than one symptom; while some patients complain of severe and unbearable pain, some share their experience of it as infrequent and irritating. These pains however, are suspected to worsen in the future and hence recommend precautions and exercises accordingly.
Akin to the effects of this
pain on different individuals, specific sciatica symptoms also vary in type,
location and severity, depending upon the condition that is causing the
sciatica. Patients may also complain of tingling or pins & needles feeling
in the same distribution. Though permanent sciatic nerve damage (tissue damage)
is a relatively rare event, when it happens then it's often irreversible.
Therefore,
if one experiences weakness in the lower region, numbness in the upper thighs,
and/or loss of bladder or bowel control, it is advised to seek immediate
medical assistance before the condition aggravates/ worsens.
Symptoms
of sciatica
The most
common symptoms of Sciatica–
·
You might
experience continuous pain in only one side of the buttock or leg (rarely can
occur in both legs).
·
A Pain that tends to worsen
when sitting or on coughing/sneezing.
·
Some numbness,
weakness or even difficult in moving the foot or the leg.
·
Experiencing
burning or tingling down the leg.
·
You can
also witness a sharp pain that makes it difficult to stand up or to walk.
Causes of
Sciatica
Sciatica mainly occurs due
to the irritation of the root(s) of the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine.
Most common cause of the same is a prolapsed or herniated disc in the spine
(often referred to as sipped disc). Some other causes of sciatica include –
·
Lumbar spinal stenosis – With age, the spine is said to undergo some changes that lead to the
degeneration of the vertebrae (bones), discs, muscles and ligaments (connective
tissues) that together make up the spinal column. When these spinal nerves are
choked, it leads to the occurrence of Lumbar spinal stenosis that involves leg
pain and other symptoms which can distinctly diminish one's activity level.
Surprisingly relief can sometimes be achieved almost immediately when you sit
down. The severity and the duration differ from one person to the other and
this is the deciding factor as to whether surgery is suitable or not.
·
Degenerative disc disease – The term refers to changes in the spinal discs as you age with time.
These spinal discs are the soft and compressible discs that are used to
separate the interlocking bones that make up the spine. These discs allow the
spine to bend or flex hence acting as cushions or shock absorbers. While the
degenerative disc disease is likely to take place anywhere in the spine, it is
mostly seen to affect the discs in the lower back (lumbar region) and the neck
(cervical region).
·
Spondylolisthesis – This is a condition in which one bone in the back (vertebra) slides
forward over the bone below it. It usually occurs in the lower spine area and
may even lead to the squeezing of the spinal cord or nerve roots. If suffering
from this condition you may witness back pain, numbness, weakness and in some
cases even the loss of bladder control or bowels.
·
If you are
pregnant, obese, or wear high heels and sleep on a highly soft mattress, you
are likely to develop sciatica pain.
Treatment
for Sciatica
If you have a herniated
disk, this does not necessarily imply that you will need surgery, there are
have numerous cases where the symptoms have improved with time. Rather, 9 out
of 10 patients with sciatica do not need surgery.
Often, it's a combination
of precautions, medicines and controlled exercises that help to treat the pain.
Precautions - Patient must
avoid sudden or extremes of movements at the lower back to prevent worsening of
the pain. Activities such a squatting, kneeling down, bending at the
waist, lifting heavy weights (or even light weights wrongly) should be
avoided.
Exercise
and physical therapy – Doctor usually schedule a very specific, controlled,
progressive exercise program. This is so because no matter how counterintuitive
it sounds; exercises work comparatively well in case of sciatica in opposition
to bed rest. So, you might rest for a day or two when the pain gets worse, but
after some time inactivity begins to work the other way round. These exercises
mainly serve these two purposes:
1. They
reduce the sciatic pain in the near term
2. They
help provide conditioning that can prevent future recurrences of the pain.
Devoid of
an exercise regime, the back muscles and spinal structures obviously
become deconditioned and hence are less able to support the back. This can
further lead to back injury and strain which in turn will give rise to more
pain. Effective movements of the body also assist in the exchange of nutrients
and fluids within the discs and keep them healthy hence preventing any strain
on the sciatic nerve.
A lot of patients have
found relief through endoscopic or endoportal decompression which
is a 30 minutes procedure requiring less than 24 hours
hospitalisation. This procedure utilises a less than a couple of centimetres
long cut through which the doctor removed the part which is exerting pressure
on the nerve in case of slipped disc or spinal stenosis.
So, surgery might be the
last resort for sciatica pain, but your doctor will ensure that he has tried and
tested all possible means before he asks you to head towards it. And considering
the irreversible nature of nerve damage that can happen with careless handling
of the condition or with self-medication, it is highly recommended to consult a
Neurosurgeon/Spine Surgeon/Ortho Surgeon at an early stage of the pain,
