What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is pain emanating from irritation of the sciatic nerve. The intensity of pain can range from mild to severe. The pain arises when the nerve root in the lower spine is compressed. This nerve is the widest and longest in the body running from your lower back to the legs through the buttocks. It ends slightly below the knees.
The symptoms of sciatica differ from one person to the other. Some experience severe and debilitating pain while others are only irritated by infrequent pain. Even for those who experience mild symptoms, the problem has the potential of getting worse. The way to identify the condition is through lower back pain that spreads to the leg but pain on the leg is more severe. The most common description by patients is burning pain, shearing or electric shock running down the leg. Further, pain is only felt on the lower body. It begins from the lower back proceeding to the thigh and ends at the leg.
What are symptoms of Sciatica?
- Pain that is restricted to one side of the leg and never spreads to the other
- Pain emanating from the buttocks or lower back, moves along the sciatic nerve, through the back of your thigh, ending up at the lower leg or foot.
- The pain worsens when a patient is sitting or standing and there is relief when one lies down or is walking
- The leg or foot gets numb when you walk
- Toes or other areas where the sciatic nerve is affected get very painful
- The pain on your leg is more severe than that on your lower back
- Some patients may experience numbness or a needle and pin sensation on the lower part of the leg.
The pain experienced by most patients is described as shearing or sharp compared to others that are dull and bordering discomfort. When a patient makes sudden movement, the intensity of pain increases. It may also get worse when sneezing changing position or when sitting after a long period standing and vice versa.
What causes Sciatica?
The underlying problem causes symptoms to vary from one person to the other. For example, if the pain is caused by spinal stenosis, walking a short distance or bending backwards will trigger the pain. Where the pain is caused by lumbar herniated disc, pain will be triggered when you bend forward.
There are different nerve roots that may be the source of pain. This means that symptoms will also vary depending on the affected nerves. When the L4 nerve is affected, the symptoms will be felt at the thigh. When the nerve is L5, expect the pain to extend to the big toe and even the ankle. If the S1 nerve is affected, pain will concentrate on the little toes. However, more than one nerve may be compressed at a time. As such, you are likely to experience a combination of symptoms.i
How to Treat Sciatica?
The symptoms of sciatica are gradual and rarely call for medical attention. However, there are instances where emergency treatment must be sort. If the pain gets worse with time and begin to spread, immediate attention must be sort. It signifies damage on the nerve other than compression. When pain spreads to both legs, it is referred to as bilateral sciatica. It may cause incontinence of the bladder or bowel leading to paralysis. Sciatica is triggered by an accident or trauma. It resolves naturally over time but should it persist, medical attention must be sort immediately.
