Do you experience numbness, tingling, or pain in your buttocks or lower back that radiates down your legs? If so, you may have a condition called sciatica. Often overlooked as having back problems, approximately 16% of Australians struggle with back problems. Some of the issues are related to sciatica. But what exactly is sciatica, how is it caused, and how can it be treated or controlled?
In this article, we will look at sciatica and how it affects people. We’ll also give you some tips on how to manage it yourself.
What is sciatica?
Sciatica is a condition that refers to pain that runs through the sciatic nerve from the spine to the legs. It usually causes pain, numbness in that area or in the legs, or tingling. Sometimes the effects of sciatica can be quite severe and debilitating. The sciatic nerve is one of the longest and thickest nerves in the human body. While we often refer to it as a nerve, it is actually a group of bundled nerves that branch from the spine.
From the hips, the sciatic nerve divides and runs along each side of the leg from the hip to just below the knee. There. The nerves will split and move to their respective areas such as the feet or toes. Mild to severe pain in any of these areas on a regular basis could be a result of sciatica.
There are two types of sciatica: true sciatica and sciatica-like conditions. As you can see, true sciatica refers to injuries or conditions that result directly from the sciatic nerve. At the same time, sciatica-like conditions refer to conditions that appear to be sciatic nerve problems but are caused by other related problems.
What causes sciatica?
There are a variety of causes of sciatica, most caused by another injury that affects the nerve at the same time. Remember, the sciatic nerve is made up of five separate nerves grouped together. In this situation, if any of the nerve branches are affected by another injury, it could be considered sciatica or sciatica-like conditions. These are some of the common causes of sciatica:
- spinal stenosis
- a herniated disc
- Degenerative disc disease
- Pregnancy
- An injury to the leg, hip, buttocks, or lower back.
- foraminal stenosis
- Osteoarthritis
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
Some of the most common symptoms of sciatica are pain, tingling, and numbness. Muscle weakness and urinary incontinence are also reported as symptoms. When you have pain as a result of sciatica, it is because pressure is being applied to the nerve, causing the pain to radiate from that area, following the nerve to its ends and roots.
The tingling sensation you feel is very similar to when your leg falls asleep for a while. Numbness is usually felt in the lower back and legs. This occurs when signals to control the leg struggle to successfully reach the brain.
Finally, if you have a severe case of sciatica, you may experience muscle weakness, when the command from your muscles also cannot reach the brain and back, limiting your ability to use them effectively. The same case applies with the urinary tract, because the nerve is restricted, the signals that control that area cannot move freely, hampering your ability to control the bladder.
How is sciatica treated?
In most cases, sciatica can be treated at home. If your symptoms are mild and you do not have symptoms such as muscle weakness or difficulty controlling your bladder, your goal at home would be to relieve pain and manage symptoms until they go away.
However, there are some cases where sciatica is prolonged and cannot be resolved with self-treatment. In this situation, you will need to seek professional advice as to what your sciatica treatment options would be. Below are some home remedies you can use to treat sciatica:
- Apply ice or a cold compress to the area most affected by sciatica for the first few days you experience it. If you can, apply it to the area for 20 minutes several times a day. Swapping this for a heating pad for the same period of time can also help relieve pain and reduce swelling in the area. Switch between the two to find which relieves pain best.
- If the pain does not subside, you may need to take over-the-counter medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, to relieve pain and reduce inflammation in the area.
- In addition to these activities, stretching properly is a great way to relieve pain and reduce your chances of continuing.
Final thoughts
Don’t ignore back pain as a growing problem, go to a specialist and get an accurate diagnosis of your problem so you know how to treat and manage it. This is the first step in alleviating your condition and possibly working toward a full recovery.
