What is Sciatica Pain?
Have you ever encountered a pain in your body’s lower extremity? Well, that can be Sciatica. The problem arises when the sciatic nerve is subjected to irritation. The pain in Sciatica travels from the lumbar area of your lower back to the behind of your thighs. This can also further affect your knees. What comes as an important fact is that, sciatic nerve holds the title for the largest nerve in the human body.
The nerve originates from nerve cluster in the lumbar area and rests in the buttock areas. The primary function of this nerve is to send signals down your body’s lower limb. Thus, sciatic pain is crucial to treat.
Symptoms of Sciatica Pain:
Hip pain, burning sensation, buttock pain as well as tingling radiating from the lower back are some of the prime symptoms of sciatica. Talking further, numbness is also associated as an important symptom of sciatica. In cases of severe sciatica, even the walking normally becomes a challenge. You might consider bending your waist, if you experience immediate pain and no-pain as soon as you lie down, you might have a symptom.
Talking more about the sciatica pain, it can vary widely. From a sharp, burning sensation to a mild tickling sensation, it all depends. You must also note that one might also get a jolt, or in other words, an electric shock. In most of the case, just the one side of the human body is affected by the effects of Sciatica. Hence, determining whether you’re suffering from Sciatica is not difficult.
Causes of Sciatica Pain:
One of the most common and scientifically proven causes of sciatica and hence, sciatica pain is disc herniation. When your lumbar disc starts herniating, it puts pressure on the cluster of nerves. This, in turn, leads to irritation and inflammation of the sciatic nerve. There is a term called radiculopathy, this simply refers to irritation in nerves caused by the abnormal intervertebral disc.
Apart from herniated nerve irritation, the other causes of sciatica are irritation in nerves from any injury, tumors, internal bleeding and even the infections. It is most noteworthy that sciatica can also happen during pregnancy in females. You must also know that sciatica if left untreated can lead to degenerative arthritis. This can also lead to a slipped disc, an array of lumbar disc diseases and even body trauma. Thus, always consider a dedicated sciatica treatment.
Treatment for Sciatica Pain:
Let’s talk about the diagnosis at first. Sciatica can be examined by a medical professional with the help of a physical examination and of course, be referring to your medical history. X-rays and other specific tests are conducted like an MRI scan, CT scan etc. to be sure about the presence of the problem. In some cases, even the electromyogram is also used for the purpose of defining the absolute causes of sciatica.
• Now, let us move towards the sciatica pain treatments. One of the most common and advised treatment is bed rest. The method is traditionally advocated and is effective in most of the cases. According to an array of reports, over 70% of the people can treat their sciatica & achieve sciatica pain relief with the help of bed rest, alone.
• Another sciatica pain relief method is to exercise regularly. The main purpose here is to keep the back rigid. One must take utmost care of their core muscles. Both, the abdomen and lower back muscles are vital to maintaining a proper posture.
• Leveraging good body mechanics is vital. What we mean is if you are standing for long periods of time, it’s advisable to rest one foot on a stool. Let’s say that you’re lifting something really heavy, don’t forget to let your lower extremities do the work. Always keep your back straight and leave the bending to the knees. Take utmost precaution while lifting something, don’t ever twist.
