Sciatica – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, And More!

A Prickling Sensation running down your thigh or feeling of Numbness or weakness in your leg, radiating pain from the lower back down till your toes, could be due to vagueness or inflammation of the ischiatic nerve or commonly known as the sciatic nerve. 

It is known as the longest nerve in the human body, starting from the lower back ( in the region of the lumbar-sacral plexus ) and running into both thighs.

You can search for the best doctors by searching for “Mason sciatica.” You will come across various specialists who can help you get rid of the problem permanently. 

Causes of Sciatica

One of the common causes of sciatica is the ambiguity of the sciatic nerve due to a bulging intervertebral disc. 

Intervertebral discs separate the bones in the vertebral column. These discs have a remnant of a notochord called nucleus pulposus, which can leak out of the disc and compress the nerve. 

Sometimes the disc itself shifts from its position due to stress on the disc and compresses the sciatic nerve; such a condition is known as a slipped disc and causes sciatica if compressing the sciatic nerve.

Heavy weight lifting may sometimes cause disc herniation, and the disc could pressurize the nerve. Also, students who sit and study for long hours have been shown to have sciatica symptoms due to wrong body posture. This can also cause bulging of the disc. 

Some other conditions which can cause sciatica include:

1. osteophytes (bony growths) 
2. Spinal canal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) 
3. Herniated disc 
4. Joint inflammation 
5. The tissues surrounding the nerve may compress the nerve. 

Symptoms of Sciatica

Sciatica is a severe condition and, if not treated, can cause permanent paralysis, or sometimes the condition resolves on its own in some days. 

Significant symptoms of sciatica include:

1. pain in the lower back 
2. Pain in the gluteal region 
3. Pain running down 
4. Weakness 
5. Numbness 
6. A tingling perception in the back and leg

The pain is felt in one of the lower extremities as the disc protrudes in one side and compresses the nerve branch on that side, causing pain in either left or right lower limb. 

Treatment of Sciatica

The treatment for sciatica can be done in various ways, but the most preferred method includes physiotherapy as it is non-invasive. Doctors also perform surgeries. 

The patient may have the following choices to treat sciatica:

1. Spinal adjustments:- the doctors provide rapid and sudden force to the joint using their hands or instruments. 
2. Skeletal tractions:- it is a process to reduce pressure on the spine and allow the disc to come back to its place. 
3. Trigger point injections:- painful knots in muscles are known as trigger points, and injecting them can help reduce pain. 
4. Physiotherapy:- these include several non-invasive exercises that help the patient reduce pain and overcome sciatica.
5. Therapeutic massage