Sciatica

All you need to know about Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that is caused by inflammation of the sciatic nerve and its supporting nerves causing pain that radiated from the lower back through the hips and down the back of each leg. Generally, sciatica affects only one side of the body but in some cases, both sides of the body are affected. If left untreated, sciatica can lead to problems such as loss of feeling in legs, weakness of affected legs, and cause permanent nerve damage.

Causes of Sciatica
The most common cause of sciatica is compression of the sciatic nerve due to a bone spur, narrowed spine, or a herniated disc. Compression of the sciatic nerve causes inflammation pain and numbness in the legs. Although the pain because of sciatica can be excruciating, most cases can be resolved with a non-invasive approach.

Symptoms of Sciatica
If you have excruciating pain radiating from the lower spine to your buttocks and down the back of your leg, it is a major symptom, of sciatica. You may find it difficult to perform daily activities like bending over, sitting, walking, and even resting. The whole sciatic path may cause discomfort but the most affected areas are the lower back, buttock, and the back of the calf and thighs. The degree of pain that you may feel may vary from mild aches to sharp, excruciating pain. Sitting for a prolonged time may aggravate the symptoms. In some cases, it might be possible that the patient has numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness in the affected leg. it is also possible that you feel pain in one part of the affected leg and numbness in the other part.

Risk factors for Sciatica
One of the biggest risk factors for sciatica is age. There are changed in the spine with age such as herniated disks and bone spurs that can cause sciatica. In addition to that, overweight and obesity increase stress on your spine and can trigger sciatica.

When to call the doctor
Mild cases of sciatica may resolve over time without much medication and some self-care measures. If self-care measures fail to ease the pain or the pain lasts longer than a week, it is recommended to seek medical help immediately. If you have sudden severe pain in the lower back, have had a violent injury, or have a problem controlling bowel movements, Immediately call your doctor.

Treatment of sciatica
The treatment of sciatica is done according to the root cause of the problem. It is recommended to consult your doctor for a thorough diagnosis to receive the right course of treatment.