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Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom of a problem with the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of each leg. It controls muscles in the back of your knee and lower leg and provides feeling to the back of your thigh, part of your lower leg and the sole of your foot. When you have sciatica, you have pain, weakness, numbness or tingling. It can start in the lower back and extend down your leg to your calf, foot, or even your toes. It's usually on only one side of your body.

Sciatica may be due to a ruptured intervertebral disk, narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the nerve called spinal stenosis, or an injury such as a pelvic fracture. In many cases no cause can be found.

Sometimes sciatica goes away on its own. Treatment, if needed, depends on the cause of the problem. It may include exercises, medicines and surgery.

Sciatica on Wikipedia

'''Sciatica''' is a pain in the leg due to irritation of the sciatic nerve. The pain generally goes from the front of the thigh to the back of the calf, and may also extend upward to the hip and down to the foot. In addition to pain, there may be numbness and difficulty moving or controlling the leg. Although sciatica is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain, the true meaning of the term is often misunderstood. Sciatica is a set of symptoms rather than a diagnosis for what is irritating the nerve root and causing the pain.

Causes of sciatica

The most common cause of sciatica is a "slipped disc" (a herniated intervertebral disc in the spine (anatomy)). Other conditions that can cause or aggravate sciatica include roughening and enlarging of the vertebrae, tension in the piriformis muscle, infections, and tumors. Sciatica may also be experienced in late pregnancy as the result of the uterus pressing on the sciatic nerve.

Treatment

Because of the many conditions that can compress nerve roots and cause sciatica, treatment options often differ from patient to patient. A combination of treatment options is often the most effective course. Most cases of sciatica can be effectively treated by physical therapy and appropriate changes in environment (for example cushioning, or chair and desk height). Other conservative treatment options include anti-inflammatory medications (i.e. NSAIDs or oral steroids), pain medications, epidural steroid injections, heat therapy and/or ice massage therapy. Chiropractic medicine manipulation often helps. In approximately 10-20% of cases, surgery is required to correct the problem. Acupuncture can also treat sciatica, as can auriculotherapy, but these methods of treatment are not without criticism and their efficacy has not been proven as of yet.

Related Topics

* Tension myositis syndrome   [ Read More ]


External Resources

Sacro Wedgy - Pain relief alternative for sciatica, lumbago, piriformis, and all types of back, hip, and leg pain.

Back Pain Go - Offering a motorized table, designed to relieve sciatica.

Universal Pain Technology Canada Inc. - Offers non-surgical solution for low back pain, sciatica and posterior facet syndrome resulting from herniated discs or degenerative discs.

Nada-Chair Direct - Lower back pain relief and prevention by making any chair an ergonomic chair with a Nada-Chair. Relieves sciatica and other forms of lower back pain.

Sciatica - Blogging to distract from back pain.

How to treat your Sciatica - A resource of information on how to treat and cure your back pain.

Back Surgery Better For Severe Sciatica And Spinal Stenosis - Brief report on surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Sciatica - Medinfo's health information for patients on sciatica. Includes symptoms, causes, investigations, treatment, advice and links to further information. Written by a UK general practitioner.

Bed rest for Sciatica is just a waste of time - A short article on the effectiveness of the most commonly prescibed remedy for treating sciatica.

What You Need to Know about Sciatica - Written by physicians at Spine-health.com, this is a review of common conditions that can cause pain along the sciatic nerve and links to treatment options.



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