Sciatica pain is pain caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve which is the longest nerve in the body extending from the waist to the back of the legs. It can cause pain, tingling, numbness or loss of strength in the legs. Although it is often confused with low back pain, sciatica pain is the pain extending downward on one leg. Health problems such as herniated disc, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis can cause sciatica pain. Most cases can be treated with non-operative treatment approaches within 1-2 weeks. However, if a patient begins to have difficulty in bowel and bladder control and a decrease in leg strength, surgical intervention may be required.
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The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It starts from the bottom of the back through the hip and the legs on both sides and extends to the feet. When some health problems such as herniated disc put pressure on the nerve, an annoying pain occurs spreading from your waist to your hips and legs. Medical problems causing sciatica pain are as follows: (1)
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Sciatica pain firstly occurs in the waist and spreads through hips to the back of left or right leg depending on the affected nerve. The pain may spread to the feet or toes depending on which part of the sciatic nerve is affected. In most cases, the pain occurs in one side of the body. (2)
Sciatica Pain;
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Sometimes, burning, numbness, tingling or muscle weakness may occur in the affected leg. There is also a risk of exacerbation when the pain is not too severe. Therefore, it may be good to take early measures by consulting a specialist.
The methods applied to identify the factors causing sciatica pain are as follows: (3)
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Sciatica pain can be treated with some simple implementations, which you can do at home, instructed by your doctor after being diagnosed with sciatica. Some implementations which can heal the pain are:
If sciatica pain exacerbates and does not heal spontaneously, there may be necessary to administer additional treatments under the supervisiob of a doctor.
Prescription and OTC painkillers which can be taken to alleviate sciatic pain are as follows: (4)
These medicines are usually prescribed to both alleviate pain and enable patients to comply with physiotherapy. Medicines which may lead to drug dependency such as opioid analgesics are for short-term use.
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You can get help from a physiotherapist when severe, acute pain is relieved. A regular physiotherapy program may help improve your posture, strengthen your back muscles, and increase your flexibility. (5)
If the cause of sciatic pain is irritated nerve roots, corticosteroid is injected to the site of pain. Corticosteroids suppress the inflammation in this site and help alleviate tha pain felt. However, injections of corticosteroids are limited due to side effects. (6)
The adjustment should be performed by a chiropractor. The aim of chiropractic adjusment, which is based on manual manipulation method of the body, is to align the spine. It can be performed in the treatment of conditions causing sciatic pain such as herniated disc or spinal stenosis.
Massage therapy helps alleviate sciatica pain by regulating the bloodstream and relaxing muscles. It also increases the amount of endorphine which is natural painkiller secreted by the body
If none of the treatments administered relieve the pain, there is loss of bowel or bladder control, and the pain is not relieved despite the medicines administered, as the last resort, surgical treatment may be considered. There are two main surgical treatment methods:
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Sciatica pain may be acute or chronic. Acute pain gets over in 1-2 weeks. Drowsiness may be felt for a while after the pain is relieved. There is also the risk of recurrence. In some cases, acute sciatic pain can become chronic, that is, it becomes permanent. This is a problem lasting lifelong. However, it is usually less severe than acute pain.
Some basic exercises and stretching movements you can do at home may help alleviate your sciatica pain and regain your strength. When you do these exercises regularly every day, you will observe that the pain decreases within 2 weeks and completely disappears within 4-6 weeks.
For sciatica pain, you can apply to the neurology or orthopedics department of any hospital. A physiotherapist can also help you through the treatment.
Resources and References:
1- Sciatica2- Advice for managing sciatica3- Causes of sciatica4- Self-care for sciaticaSHARE ARTICLE
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