Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom of pain and neurological dysfunction that can be a result of compression and/or irritation in the sciatic nerve, which is one of the five spinal nerves that control the lower extremities. In Sciatica, the nerve pain originates in the lower back and then it can spread to the other lower body parts such as the thigh and even the legs and foot. Sometimes, cold weather conditions can worsen the situation. Sciatica is not a disease, but it is a symptom of a disease. Hence, it is required to treat the origin of the disease rather than the symptom.

Causes

The exact cause of Sciatica is the compression of the Sciatic nerve or the compression of the lumbar or the sacral spine bones that are located above the Sciatic nerve in the pelvic cavity. The pain associated with Sciatica is caused by the pain response elicited by nerves as a result of compression or irritation. Some of the other causes of Sciatica are spinal stenosis, tumors that can compress the disc or the Sciatic nerve itself, traumatic injury and/or fracture of the spinal bone that results in compression of the sciatic nerve, spinal disc herniation or accidentally slipped discs, degenerative changes in the discs, and muscular problem such as Piriformis syndrome.

Symptoms

The degree of the pain of Sciatica may vary from time to time and sometimes it may be moderate and in some instance it may be severe. Some of the common symptoms are:

• Pain in one side of the leg

• Gradual onset of pain often starts slowly that may radiate to the other parts

• Difficulty in walking, standing, sitting, running, bending and even laughing may worsen the symptoms

• Episodic attacks are common in the nights.

Diagnosis

• Clinical examination such as Reflex tests

• X-ray of the Lumbar spine

• Electromyogram (EMG), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Neurography (MRN)

Treatment Options

In Sciatica, if the underlying medical condition is disc prolapse, rarely it may require surgical intervention and many of the cases are cured without medical intervention by physical therapy and rest and hence the Sciatica will subside by its own. Surgery may be needed, if there are any tumors that cause Sciatica. However, the medical treatment is mostly the pain management with conventional analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and diclofenac.

Prognosis

The prognosis of Sciatica is usually good after a proper medical treatment. But the relapse of Sciatica is more common, which needs the continuation of the treatment. Many cases reported that the Sciatica subsides by its own without any medical treatment.

When to see a doctor

If you experience abnormal pain upon movement or if there is pain even after you took medicines or if you feel the home care is not useful for pain management, you need to see the medical doctor immediately.