Sciatic Nerve Pain

What is Sciatic Nerve Pain?

The sciatic nerve pain is also known as sciatica. It is the pain in the leg along with possible tingling, numbness and weakness that travels from the lower back down through the buttock traversing the path of the sciatic nerve.

The most common cause of the sciatic nerve pain is a direct trauma to the nerve, usually due to an injection that is given directly given into the buttocks. Prolonged external pressure on the nerve or pressure from the internal body structures can also lead to the pain. Another common cause that can cause pressure on the sciatic nerve is when the pelvis bone is fractured or other similar trauma occurs on the buttocks or thigh. Systemic diseases like diabetes too can damage the sciatic nerve. A ruptured lumbar disc can cause symptoms that can simulate the symptoms of the sciatic nerve dysfunction. This damage leads to the slowing down and gradually preventing the conduction of impulses through the nerve.

The Sciatic Nerve

The largest nerve in the body is the sciatic nerve that is responsible for providing the sensory and motor functions to the lower parts of the body. The nerve provides sensation to the back of the thigh, lower part of the leg till the sole of the foot.

Causes - Sciatic Nerve Pain

Some of the common causes of the sciatic nerve pain are:

• Osteophytes: are the additional bone growths that form at the edge of the joints. These bone growths can rub the sciatic nerve causing pain and inflammation.
• Spondylolisthesis: is the condition wherein one vertebra slips forward above the vertebrae below it. This leads to the distortion of the spinal canal and results in the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve to be compressed.
• Herniated Disk: If the outer layer of the intervertebral disk becomes weak or damaged, then the soft center of the disk can protrude out which is known as the herniated disk. These disks can damage any of the 5 origins of the sciatic nerve. Further, chemicals that leak from the center of the disks can also cause inflammation of the nerve.
• Piriformis Syndrome: is an uncommon cause of the sciatic nerve disease. Piriformis is a muscle that lies deep in the buttocks and helps is the rotation and stabilization of the hip. When a person suffers from the piriformis syndrome, the piriformis muscle swells up. This results in the compression of the sciatic nerve present under it.

Treatment - Sciatic Nerve Pain

Majority of the people who suffer from sciatica get better with time with the help of non-surgical treatment which includes one or a combination of the medical or alternative treatments and is usually accompanied with some form of exercise and stretching. The main goal of this kind of treatment is to provide immediate and long term relief and prevention future recurrence of the condition.

But, some people who suffer from more severe cases need surgical intervention. These kind of surgeries are designed to help relieve both the pressure and inflammation and are suggested by docotrs if the sciatic nerve pain is very severe and non-surgical treatments have not provided any relief. The traditional treatment is an open back surgery, but this kind of surgery comes with high risks and many related complications. An alternative form of treatment available these days is using laser technology, which is minimally invasive. But, this form of treatment is recommended to people who are suffering with a herniated or a bulging disc that is pressing against the sciatic nerve. Excess disc material is removed which helps alleviate the sciatica pain via microdiscectomy or discectomy.

Pregnant women too suffer from sciatica. This is because the sciatic nerve runs under the uterus and the growing baby can put pressure on it. The best possible remedy is to lie on the side opposite to that of the pain. This will help relieve the pressure on the nerve. Further, lifting heavy weights and standing for ling periods of time should be avoided. Avoiding heat and cold alternatively can also help reduce the pain. Swimming can help ease the discomfort to a large extent. But do consult the doctor before you start swimming. The doctor can also suggest some more light exercises that can help ease the pain.

I hope that this article has helped shed some light on the sciatic nerve pain and the common causes and treatments that are available for the same.