Suffering from sciatica? Here is what you need to do

From thehealthsite.com

Compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve (which is the longest nerve in your body) may lead to a condition known as sciatica. It causes pain which can originate from your lower back, radiating down your leg to your calf. It may be on one side of your body. You will experience immense pain even during activities like sneezing, coughing, standing or sitting. To deal with it, you will have to strengthen your upper back. So, you MUST exercise on a daily basis. Doing so can be helpful for your back muscles and may support your spine too. This can also allow you to stimulate the production of natural painkilling chemicals known as endorphins. However, you should avoid weight training if you are suffering from sciatica. But, you can try some other exercises like swimming, which won't worsen your condition. Remember to speak to your expert or fitness trainer, before undertaking any fitness program. Also, here are some natural remedies for you.

Ginger: It is loaded with potassium and it has been proven by science that potassium deficiency can lead to excruciating sciatica pain. Go for ginger tea or simply chew on ginger.

Celery juice: It helps lower pain and inflammation owing to its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. So, drink it now!

Aloe vera juice: It contains anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. This juice is effective in tackling sciatica because of the ethanolic extracts present in it.

Turmeric: It contains curcumin which is anti-inflammatory and analgesic in nature and can help you relieve pain and inflammation caused due to sciatica. You can drink turmeric milk.

https://www.thehealthsite.com/photo-gallery/diseases-conditions-suffering-from-sciatica-here-is-what-you-need-to-do/sciatica-in-tamin--658051

Don’t let leg pain ruin your day

From news24.com

Sciatica is a shooting pain that begins in the lower back, radiates into the buttock and down the back of one leg. The pain is often caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve from a herniated disc, bone spurs or muscle strain. You play an important role in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of leg pain. It typically improves with rest, physical therapy, and other self-care measures. Chronic pain may be helped with surgery.

Types of leg pain
Leg pain ranges from mild to severe and can be acute or chronic.

Acute sciatic pain occurs suddenly and usually heals within several days to weeks. The severity relates directly to the amount of tissue injury. The source of pain may be in the spinal joints, discs, nerves, or muscles and ligaments.
Chronic sciatic pain persists for more than three months and its source may be hard to determine.
Chronic pain may be felt all the time or worsen with certain activities. Contributing factors may include nerve damage, tissue scarring, arthritis, or mental effects of pain. People with chronic symptoms may be referred to a pain specialist.

What are the symptoms?
Classic sciatic pain starts in the low back and buttocks. It affects one leg, travelling down the back of the thigh, past the knee, and sometimes into the calf and foot. The pain feels worse in the leg than in the back. It may range from a mild ache to severe burning or a shooting pain. Numbness or tingling (pins-and-needles) can occur in your leg and foot. This usually is not a concern unless you have weakness in your leg muscles or foot drop.
Sitting usually causes the most pain because of the weight this position puts onto the discs.
Activities, such as bending or twisting, worsen the pain, whereas lying down tends to bring relief. Running or walking may actually feel better than sitting or standing for too long.

Sciatica can be caused by a number of conditions­ that irritate or compress the sciatic­ nerve:
• Piriformis syndrome — Tightening or spasm of the piriformis muscle can compress the nerve.
• Trauma — A sports injury or fall can fracture the spine or tear a muscle and damage nerves.
• Herniated disc — The gel-like centre of a spinal disc can bulge or rupture through a weak area in the disc wall and compress nerves.
• Osteoarthritis —As discs naturally age they dry out and shrink. Small tears in the disc wall can be painful.

What treatments are available?
Healing begins with self-care and non-surgical strategies. The goal is to correct the problem, restore function, and prevent re-injury. Medication such as over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen, can bring relief. A muscle relaxant may be prescribed for spasms. If pain is severe, an analgesic may be prescribed that can be taken with the NSAID or other analgesic therapies available.

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Local/Maritzburg-Fever/dont-let-leg-pain-ruin-your-day-20190312

A promising alternative for lower back pain treatment

From medicalnewsbulletin.com

A new study by Italian researchers investigated whether the use of pulsed radiofrequency can help relieve lower back pain and sciatica.

Lower back pain can be excruciating and debilitating. One of the most common causes of lower back pain is lumbar disc herniation. Discs are like cushions that sit in between vertebrae and act as shock absorbers to allow you to bend and move without your bones rubbing together. They consist of a soft jelly-like centre known as the nucleus and a tough exterior known as the annulus.
A herniated disc occurs when a portion of the nucleus pushes through a tear or crack in the annulus (ruptured disc), putting pressure on nearby nerves. This is often the source of sciatica back pain, as the pain spreads down the sciatic nerve which branches from the lower back and down the back of each leg.
Current treatments for herniated discs are quite conservative and include over-the-counter pain medications to injections of corticosteroids such as cortisone, which provide pain relief for inflamed areas of the body. The injections are given directly into the area of the spine affected. However, there are many patients who do not respond to these conservative treatments. Some may, therefore, require surgery, with some requiring the disc to be removed.

However, researchers in Italy have investigated an alternative minimally invasive procedure as a potential alternative for people who have not responded to conservative treatments. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in November 2018.

New technique applies pulses of energy directly to the nerve roots

The technique, CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency, involves applying pulses of energy from a probe under CT guidance directly to nerve roots near the spine, which are the portions responsible for sending pain signals. The pulsed radiofrequency causes stimulation of the nerves, reducing inflammation significantly and subsequently resulting in pain relief.
The study included two groups to compare the alternative method to a more conservative treatment approach. One group included 128 patients with lower back pain caused by lumbar disc herniation who were not responding to conservative treatment for a prolonged period. The technique was done under CT guidance and applied for ten minutes. The second group included 120 patients, with the same condition. However, they received CT-guided steroid injections to the same target, three times. They did not receive any pulsed radiofrequency.

Greater overall improvement in pain compared to steroid injections

After one year, patients who received the CT-guided pulsed radiofrequency saw a greater overall improvement in pain compared to those only received the steroid injections. The results also showed patients who had the pulsed radiofrequency treatment had faster relief of leg pain and faster rate of perceived recovery. The probability of perceived recovery was 95% in this group, compared to only 61% in the group who received the steroid injection only.

The study also showed that the combination of the pulsed radiofrequency treatment followed by a steroid injection was more effective than either treatment alone. The results, such as pain relief and reduction in inflammation were longer lasting.

A minimally invasive and safe procedure

These findings show this alternative treatment is significantly superior compared to conservative treatments given to patients suffering from lower back pain due to a herniated disc or sciatica. Pulsed radiofrequency is a fast and effective treatment that does not have the same adverse events associated with it, like the use of pain medications and steroids. Only one 10-minute treatment was needed to be effective in a large number of patients.
This minimally invasive and safe procedure is now being offered to patients suffering from herniated discs and sciatica who are not responding to the typical treatments offered. This could also help a number of patients avoid surgery, which is often the only other option.
Written by Lacey Hizartzidis, PhD

https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/promising-alternative-lower-back-pain-treatment/