Symptoms and treatment of sciatica

From palmbeachpost.com

The term sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain — and possibly tingling, numbness, or weakness — that originate in the lower back and travel through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of each leg.

Symptoms of sciatica are usually only felt in one leg. Although rare, symptoms can be present in both legs. Symptoms generally worsen when the patient is sitting. Common sciatica symptoms include pain that radiates through the buttock, down the back of the thigh, through the calf, and into the foot. Other sciatica symptoms include numbness, tingling, and a “pins-and-needles” sensation. If sciatica is allowed to progress without treatment, muscular weakness and a loss of leg function may begin to appear.

When discussing sciatica, it is important to understand the underlying medical cause, as effective treatment will focus on addressing the pain’s root cause as well as alleviating acute symptoms. The following lower back problems are the most common causes of sciatica: lumbar herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis or lumbar spinal stenosis.

The goals of nonsurgical sciatica treatments are to relieve pain and any neurological symptoms caused by a compressed nerve root. There is a broad range of options available for sciatica treatment such as heat/ice therapy, pain medications, massage therapy or epidural steroid injections. For most people, the good news is that sciatica typically gets better on its own, and the healing process usually will only take a few days or weeks.

Typically, it is reasonable to consider surgery for sciatica if severe leg pain has persisted for four to six weeks or if there is a limitation in the patient’s ability to participate in everyday activities. Depending on the cause and duration of the sciatica pain, one of two general surgeries will typically be considered: microdiscectomy or lumbar laminectomy.

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Take the Sting Out of Sciatica

From toyourhealth.com

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, beginning in the lower back and extending through the buttocks and down the entire leg. When the nerve is inflamed or compressed, you've got sciatica, characterized by mild to severe pain, burning, tingling, numbness and/or weakness.
Your chiropractor knows a great deal about sciatica, particularly because the nerve originates in the lower back, and herniated spinal discs account for the majority of sciatica cases. In fact, sciatica is a common reason for visiting a chiropractor. If you're suffering from sciatica, your DC may perform chiropractic adjustments and related techniques to help resolve your pain.

In terms of future prevention once the pain is gone, exercise – specifically two low-level activities, walking and biking – may be suggested. Why? According to recent research, regular walking and/or biking reduces the risk of being hospitalized for sciatica by 33 percent, the same percentage risk increase attributable to obesity. While sciatica uncommonly leads to a hospital stay, it can persist if not treated properly and cause significant pain / disability.
The study did not find an association with other types of leisure-time physical activities, leading the researchers to speculate that walking / biking are specifically beneficial because they are low-level physical activities that don't strain the low back.
Talk to your chiropractor about sciatica prevention and conservative chiropractic treatment – before you are someone you know is faced with chronic pain or even hospitalization.

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