Sciatica

Sciatica is a very painful back condition and it can hurt really bad.

There are two types of sciatica, short term and long term.

  • Most of the sciatica pains are short term. You need to understand that most of the sciatica pains go away with time.
  • The long term sciatic lasts longer than 3 months.

These are some of the causes of having sciatica.

  • Increase in age.
  • Serious medical conditions like cancer or diabetes metastasizing the spine.
  • Poor nutrition.
  • Smoking
  • Different types of occupational risks and hazards putting pressure on the spine.
  • Genetic disorders contributing to the sciatica pain.,
  • Inactive lifestyle and poor physical fitness levels.

There can be numerous reasons responsible for sciatica. The symptoms of sciatica may also be signaling towards some other spine problems too like herniated discs, lumbar spinal stenosis, tumors, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, diabetes, and trauma.

Symptoms mostly associated with sciatica include.

  • A feeling of weakness in the leg or foot.
  • Burning sensation or tingling in the leg or foot.
  • The increase in pain due to coughing, sneezing, straining, backward bending, or prolonged sitting or standing.
  • A sharp increase in the pain shooting down the leg.
  • Lower back pain radiating down to the buttocks and legs.

Doctors using different methods to diagnose sciatica pain include checking a patient’s complete medical history. Diagnosis of sciatica may involve CT, MRI, X-Ray, and nerve conduction tests.

There are several approaches to treatment of sciatica. Some of these treatments are conservative while others may involve surgery.