Sciatica: What Is It and What Causes It?

02 Aug Sciatica: What Is It and What Causes It?

A few years ago, we published a blog post discussing sciatica as one of the common complaints in pain management. The post got numerous attention from our regular readers. With that in mind, we thought we might put together one other post offering a couple of more details. Useless to say, sciatica pain will be quite uncomfortable.

The curious thing about sciatica is that the pain it causes can radiate quite a distance from the purpose of the particular injury. Note that the sciatic nerves are situated on either side of the lower back. Depending on the reason for the pain, it may well be felt all the way in which down into the foot.

Sciatica will be debilitating – at the very least temporarily. The excellent news is that almost all cases of sciatica resolve on their very own with rest and good self-care practices.

More About Sciatica

What we routinely called sciatica just isn’t officially defined as a medical condition. Once we use the term, we are literally referring to sciatic pain. That is pain being attributable to some form of issue with the sciatic nerve. The nerve could possibly be inflamed; it could possibly be injured; it could even be diseased.

At this point, it will be important to indicate that the sciatic nerve at all sides of your back isn’t only a single nerve with a single root. Each sciatic nerve actually has five roots. The most important sciatic nerve begins within the hip and runs right down to just under the knee. Then it branches out into 4 additional nerve roots that travel down your leg, through your foot, and all of the strategy to the toes.

Typically of sciatica, the pain originates within the upper portion of the nerve. But that doesn’t should be the case. Any inflammation or injury along the sciatic nerve may cause pain. The pain will be anywhere from mild to severe. Some cases of sciatica also end in temporary muscle weakness and/or numbness.

What Causes Sciatica

Essentially the most common reason for sciatica is a herniated disc within the lower back. That disc puts pressure on the nerve root. It seems roughly 20% of all adults will suffer from a herniated disc in some unspecified time in the future of their lives. Lots of them will only know due to a sciatica diagnosis.

Listed here are another conditions that may cause sciatic pain:

• Degenerative disc disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Spinal growths
• Spinal trauma.

A number of other very rare conditions can result in sciatica as well, but this post won’t mention them for lack of space. Useless to say, sciatic pain has many causes. It takes a talented physician with experience in lower back issues to work out exactly what’s at the basis of the pain.

Sciatica Symptoms

Sciatica is well confused with other types of back pain because its symptoms are just like other conditions. Sciatica patients are inclined to experience pain within the lower back and buttocks. The pain can radiate all the way in which down the road. Other symptoms include:

• numbness, tingling, or weakness
• a sense of pins and needles
• increased pain with movement.

A physician will diagnose sciatica through a mix of asking questions, performing a physical exam and, where vital, ordering diagnostic tests. The aim for ordering diagnostic tests is to rule out other conditions.

So far as painful conditions go, sciatica is taken into account very low risk. You might be essentially taking a look at a pinched nerve. The excellent news is that there are many options for treating the condition. We are able to let you know all about them if you visit our Weatherford pain clinic.