What is Sciatica Pain? Comprehensive Guide to Treatments

The sciatic nerve is a bundle of 5 nerves L4, L5, S1, S2, and S3 nerve roots. They come together and combine at the lower spine canal to form one nervecalled the sciatic nerve.

The sciatic nerve travels through the spine and into both legs.

What is Sciatica Pain?

The dislocation of the herniated disc creates a force on the soft tissues in the lower spine leading them to break. So what happens is that the break-in (bone spur) in the soft tissue presses the sciatic nerve causing pain. This may happen because ofan injury or an accident.

Older people usually suffer from soft tissue breakage as tissues get rubbed with each other over the years of movement in the body. This leads them to collapse and create compression on the sciatic nerve.

The sciatic nerve is the longest in the human body. Pain commonly occurs when it is compressed, irritated, or inflamed.

Sciatica pain is unilateral pain experienced in one leg, however it depends on which side of the nerve root is pressed due to compression.

Herniated disc displacement can be caused by many reasons. Sitting for long hours, lifting a heavy object, a sudden jerk when doing any exercises, or an accidentmight be the cause of the pain.

Symptoms of Sciatica Pain

The common symptoms of sciatica pain are:

• Radiating Pain

Sciatica pain is sensed from the back to the pelvis region and reaches the leg. The suffering is unbearable and causes a lot of discomfort in the leg.

• Sharp or Burning Sensation

The pain feels like a burning sensation or like an electric shock that runs through from your back to the leg.

• Numbness or Tingling

The numbness starts from the hips to the leg. The compressed area feels numb, as it prevents signals from properly reaching the brain because of the significant damage.

The tingling sense feels like a sharp needle is being poked continuously from the back to the leg. This happens as the nerve is disrupted but not blocked completely.

• Weakness

A person can feel weakness in the affected leg making them difficult to walk and stand.

Common Causes of Sciatica Pain

There are various reasons for the occurrence of sciatica pain. Conditions affecting any of the five spinal nerves that bundle to form the sciatic nerve can potentially cause it.

Lumbar Herniated Disc

In more than many cases,a lumbar herniated disc is the main culprit that causes the pain as it compresses spinal nerve roots directly or by chemical inflammation.

Degeneration

Degeneration in facet joints can cause tissues to get swollen and thicker. This may increase pressure on the nearby nerve. It also happens when the bone in the spine begins to shed and again starts to develop extra bone around it. It pressesthe sciatic nerve against the bone.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Lumbar spinal stenosis mostly happens in older people who are above the age of 60.Their spinal canal starts to shrink because of the aging factor, affecting the sciatic nerve.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis happens when one tiny fracture in the spine causes the nerve to slip from its position and climb on the other. The causes numbness and pain in the leg and hips.

Sciatica Pain Treatment

There are various methods and procedures that one can follow to get rid of sciatica pain. For sciatica pain treatment ,there are medical and home remedies available to help someone who is suffering from pain.

Let’s look at some of the ways for Sciatica Pain treatment.

Home Remedies

Some people can get relief from sciatica pain at home. This usually happenswhen the condition is not worse and home remedies can reverse the effect.

Cold Pack

Place a cold pack on your back and leave it there for 20 to 30 minutes. The heat from the ice will help the muscle to release its tension.

Hot Pack

After 2 or 3 days, start using heat packs too. Use both heat packs and cold packs on alternative days as they will work in coordination to help the affected area to relax.

Stretching and Strengthening Exercise

Stretching and strengthening exercises for the legs and lower back can help release tense muscles or tissues.

Yoga

Yoga is a natural form of medicine that can easily treat diseases, pains, or anything that is harming our bodies. Yoga is a less-effort and high-benefit practice. It is a low-impact way to reduce pain fast.

Yoga helps by stretching tight muscles, like the piriformis,and strengthening the lower back to reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve.

It enhances flexibility in the body and increases the blood flow in that area.

Some yoga poses to do:

• Dragon Pose
• Cobra Pose

Surgery for Sciatica Treatment

Surgery is taken into consideration when pain is severe and continues for over 3 months. This is when medical care is required to treat the patient’s injuries.

Discectomy

This surgery is done to remove herniated discs which are pressing the sciatic nerve.

Laminectomy

Laminectomy is conducted to make the spinal canal wide to bring relief to the sciatic nerve. Going under this surgery gives quick relief to the patient.

Conclusion

When the sciatic nerve is compressed or inflamed, sciatica pain occurs. It can be exacerbated by aging, physical strain, or poor lifestyle habits like extended sitting. We expect reading this write-up will help you understand all about sciatica pain and treatment for getting rid of the situation. If you have any other tips for your fellow readers to get rid of sciatica pain, do share the same in the comments section.