The characteristic pain shooting down the legs is familiar to all who suffer from sciatica. Though many people think this malady is a disorder of the legs or hips, its foundation is actually the spine where many nerve roots of the body are located.
Sciatica can be very painful and frustrating, but with proper analysis and treatment, you and your medical professional can find ways to minimize its effect on your life.
Perhaps it is more convenient to think of sciatica as a result rather than a cause.
Sciatica is nerve pain caused by a variety of spinal injuries and malfunctions that compress the spinal nerves causing the pain that can extend all the way down to the feel.
What Causes Sciatica?
Many different, fairly common back infirmities can cause disc compression that leads to sciatic pain. Some of the most common follow:
Herniated disc – Discs are spongy, circular cushions between vertebrae in the spine that enable spinal motion as springs enable your car to move smoothly across uneven surfaces and keep the individual parts of vertebrae from contacting each other. Over time and with injury, the soft inner part of the disc which is a gel-like substance, can leak out. This fluid puts pressure on the nerve causing sciatic pain.
Spinal stenosis – This is when spinal nerves are compressed; this nerve pinching occurs anywhere from neck to lower back.
Spondylolisthesis – This is a long word describing a condition whereby one vertebra slips forward out of alignment and squeezes the disc and nerves causing the radiating pain of sciatica.
Less common causes – Less commonly, people may develop tumors or different growths on the spine that cause the pain. Even some forms of cancer can be the cause of sciatica.
The Good News about Sciatica: Multiple Treatment Options
Though few of us can find much to think positively about in any physically painful situation, it is genuinely good news that there are many alternatives for addressing sciatic pain. There are too many situations for which we have little to offer in palliative or curative terms, so it is particularly gratifying to have a variety of options available for treating the pain of sciatica.
With sciatica, as with many forms of illness or injury, we begin treatment with the simplest approaches and only escalate in intervention and complexity if the simpler methods are not effective. Hence, an accurate pain evaluation for sciatic pain is essential.
Ice: Anti-inflammatory in your Freezer
Ice is nature’s anti-inflammatory. When you initially notice the pain, apply ice, fifteen minutes on, fifteen minutes off as much as possible during the first 24 hours after you notice the pain. Experiment with different kinds of ice applications such as packs filled with ice cubes, gel packs etc. Some people find that solid bricks of ice exacerbate rather than alleviate the pain. You can also use over the counter anti-inflammatories to assist the ice in reducing the inflammation, but consult your physician first to be sure.
Heat: After the Initial 24 Hours, Use Heat
Medical science does not recommend bed-rest beyond the first 24 hours of the initial sciatic pain. The human body is designed to move and all of its functions work best with activity. Additionally, muscle degeneration begins with inactivity, so even limited motion is preferable to bed rest.
Use heat to relieve pain once the initial 24 hours has passed, also assisted by anti-inflammatories as needed.
In many cases, the ice/heat applications substantially reduce the pain in a few days.
Non-weight Bearing Exercise
With the relief of sciatica pain, it’s time to move – no marathons or Iron Man competitions at first, just some gentle, non-weight bearing exercise such as swimming, in moderation.
Monitor the pain and don’t push yourself too hard, but getting back into motion is very important. The more the muscles around your spinal column deteriorate, the more difficult it is to move and reduce pain. The human frame is composed of bone but entirely supported by muscle.
Research appropriate exercise alternatives. You might begin with seated exercises – but get moving.
If these few, basic remedies that anyone can attempt at home do nothing to relieve the pain, it is time to consult a medical professional, ideally a spinal specialist.
Medical Intervention for Stubborn Cases
Depending on the actual cause of you sciatica, none of the milder, less invasive approaches may work. However, there are still a variety of approaches including different types of spinal corrective surgery designed to remove or repair the cause of your pain.
Additionally, epidural injections and nerve root blocks may relieve and restore you to activity.
Try not to despair over your sciatic pain; with so many options, one may work.