Sciatica Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Do you have pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve? This is sciatica pain.

Sciatica pain refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve, which braces from your lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg.

In most cases, sciatica affects only one side of your body.

Moreover, sciatica most commonly occurs when a herniated disc, bone spur on the spine, or narrowing of the spine, i.e. spinal stenosis, compresses part of the nerve.

This can lead to inflammation, pain, and in most cases numbness in the affected leg.

Though the pain associated with sciatica can be severe, most cases tend to resolve with non-operative treatments in a few weeks.

In case people who have severe sciatica that comes along with significant leg weakness or bowel or bladder changes may be the candidates for surgery.

Keep on reading.

Symptoms of Sciatica Pain

In case you experiencing pain that shoots from your lower back through the buttock area and into your lower limbs, it is sciatica.

Moreover, sciatica is the result of damage or injury to the sciatic nerve, so other symptoms of nerve damage are often present along with pain.

While some other symptoms may be:

• pain that gets worse with movement
• numbness, burning, or weakness in your legs or feet along with the sciatic nerve pathway, and can also becomes a loss of feeling or movement in severe cases
• a sensation of pins and needles which also involves tingling in the toes or feet
• incontinence, the inability to control bladder or bowel movements, which is a rare symptom of cauda equine syndrome, It calls for immediate emergency attention.

Causes of Sciaitca Pain

Sciatica pain can occur due to a number of reasons or conditions that involve your spine and can also affect the nerves that run along your back.

it can also occur due to an injury, like falling, or spinal or sciatic nerve tumors.

The common condition that causes sciatic are:

Herniated Discs

Your vertebrae or spinal bones are separated by discs made of cartilage.

Cartilage contains a thick, clean material that helps to make sure there is flexibility and cushioning while your move around.

In the case of a herniated disc, the first layer of cartilage rips.

As a result, the substance inside can bulge outward or completely spill out of the disc and compress on the sciatic nerve.

Thus resulting in lower limb pain and numbness.

It is estimated that about 1 to 5% of all people will have back pain that occurs by a slipped disc at some point in their lives.

Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis or lumbar spinal stenosis is characterized by the abnormal narrowing of your lower spinal cord.

Moreover, this narrowing tends to put pressure on the spinal cord and your sciatic nerve roots.

Spondylolisthesis

This is a condition that is associated condition of degenerative disc disorder.

When one spinal bone, or vertebrae, extends forward over another, the extended spinal bone will pinch nerves that make your sciatic nerve.

Piriformis Syndrome

It is a rare neuromuscular disorder in which your piriformis muscle involuntarily contracts or tightens, causing sciatica.

Moreover, this is the muscle that connects the lower portion of your spine to the thighbones.

When it tightens, it tends to put pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to sciatica pain.

Furthermore, piriformis syndrome can worsen in case you sit for long periods of time, fall, or experience a car crash.

Learn more about What is Back Pain? here.

Risk Factors of Developing Sciatica

It is important to note that certain behaviors can raise your risk of developing sciatica.

The most common factors for developing sciatic are:

• as your body age, it becomes more likely for the body parts to wear out or break down
• certain careers tend to put a lot of strain on your back, especially those that involve lifting heavy objects, sitting for extended periods of time, or twisting movements.
• having diabetes can also increase your risk for nerve damage
• smoking can cause the outer layer of the spinal discs to break down
• being obese can also be associated with sciatica

Learn more about Why and How Should You Quit Smoking here.

Diagnosis for Sciatic Pain

One of the important things to note is that sciatica pain tends to vary from one person to another.

And it also depends on the condition that causes it.

In order to diagnose sciatica, your doctor will first want to get your full medical history.

This will include whether you have had recent injuries, where you feel the pain, and how the pain feels.

Moreover, they will also want to know what makes the pain better, what makes it worst, and how and when it started.

The next step is the physical exam to test your muscle strength and reflexes.

During this, your doctor will ask you to do some stretching and moving exercises to find which activities cause more pain.

The next round of tests for diagnosis is for people who have dealt with sciatica for longer than a month or have chronic conditions like cancer.

Furthermore, a nerve test will allow your doctor to examine how your sciatic nerve is conducting nerve impulses and learn if there are any abnormalities.

These tests can help them to locate the area involved and the degree to which the impulses are being slowed.

Imaging Tests for Sciatica

Your doctor can also take a look at your spine through imaging tests that will help them to determine the cause of your sciatica.

The most common imaging tests that the doctor can use to diagnose sciatica and finds its cause are:

• X-ray
• MRI
• CT scan

Normal x-rays will not be able to provide a view of sciatic nerve damage.

However, they can show bony abnormalities that can push on the sciatic nerve or decrease disc spaces that may suggest disc herniations.

An MRI uses magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of your back.

While a CT scan uses radiation to create detailed images of your body.

Your doctor can order a CT myelogram.

For this test, they will inject a special dye into the spine to help produce clearer pictures of your spinal cord and nerves.

Treatment Options

When you receive a diagnosis of sciatica, your doctor will give you tips to treat your pain.

It is important that you continue your daily activities as much as possible.

Lying in your bed or avoiding activity can worsen your condition.

Some commonly suggested at-home treatments are:

Cold and Heat

You can use ice packs or even use a package of frozen vegetables.

Wrap the ice pack or frozen vegetables in a towel and apply to the affected area for short intervals a number of times per day, during the first days of symptoms.

This will help to reduce swelling and ease the pain.

On the other hand, you can also use hot packs or a heating pad.

Doctors recommend that you use ice during the first couple of days to reduce swelling.

After 2 or 3 days, switch to heat.

heat will help to relax muscles in your back which can spasm when an injury occurs.

However, if you continue to have pain, try alternating between ice and heat therapy.

Stretching

Gently stretching your lower back can help.

Make sure to learn how to stretch properly, and get one-on-one physical therapy or even yoga instruction from a physical therapist or instructor trained to deal with your injury.

Moreover, you can also look for videos online to help you find the proper stretches.

Also, make sure to consult a medical professional first before starting a stretching routine.

Over-the-Counter Medications.

OCT medications like aspirin and iburophen can help with pain, inflammation, and swelling.

However, be careful about using aspirin excessively as it can cause complications like stomach bleeding and ulcers.

Regular Exercise

The more you stay active, the more endorphins your body will release.

Endorphins are pain relievers that your body makes, so stick to low-impact activities like swimming and stationary bicycle.

As your pain decreases and your endurance improves, create an exercise regimen that includes:

• aerobics
• core stability
• strength training

A regimen with these components will help to decrease the risk of future back issues.

However, make sure to talk with a medical professional or seek medical advice before starting a new exercise routine.

Physical Therapy

Exercises in physical therapy can help to improve posture and strengthen your back muscles.

Prescription Medication

In some cases, doctors may prescribe prescription medication and muscle relaxers, pain relievers, oral steroids, or anticonvulsants.

Epidural Steroid Medication

Corticosteroid medication that your doctor injects into an area in epidural space, which is the canal that surrounds your spinal cord.

Due to its side effects, these injections are given on a limited basis.

Surgery

In case you have severe pain or situations in which you lose control of your bowel and bladder or are developing weakness in certain muscle groups of the lower extremity, your doctor will recommend surgery.

The two most common types of surgery are:

• Discectomy: In this part of the disc that is pressing on the nerve that makes up the sciatic disc will be removed
• microdiscectomy: In this, the doctor will remove the disc through a small cut while they use a microscope

Prevention Tips

The following steps can help you to prevent sciatica or keep it from occurring again:

Exercise Often: Strengthening your back muscles and your core muscles is the key to maintaining a healthy back.

Check your Posture: Make sure that the chair you use offers proper support for your main.

Place your feet on the floor, while sitting and use your armrests.

Mind how you Move: While lifting heavy objects, make sure you do it in a proper way.

Bend at your knees, and keep your back straight while doing so.

Natural Treatment

Complementary medicine is growing in popularity, and there are a number of remedies that can help with sciatica pain.

These are:

In Acupuncture, a practitioner will insert sterilized needles into specific points.

These will help improve your back pain symptoms.

A massage therapist can apply motion, pressure, tension, or vibration to your body to help relieve pressure and sciatic symptoms.

You can ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist who performs biofeed therapy.

It is a mind-body technique that helps to improve back pain and chronic pain.

Moreover, with this technique, your doctor will use electrical sensors to help understand how your body responds to stress and pain.

Committing to a mindfulness meditation practice can help to reduce pain and increase your quality of life.

Seeking Help

It is important to seek immediate medical attention or medical advice if you experience the following:

• pain after severe injury or accident
• sudden, excruciating pain in the lower back or leg that is coupled with numbness or muscles weakness in the same leg
• unable to control the bladder or bowels

Cauda Equina Syndrome

In rare cases, a herniated disc can press on nerves that can cause you to lose control of your bowel or bladder.

This condition is Cada Equino Syndrome.

Moreover, it can cause numbness or tingling in your groin area, a decrease in sexual sensation, and paralysis if you do not get treatment.

It is important to note that this disorder develops slowly and you should go to your doctor or an emergency room if the symptoms appear.

The symptoms of this disorder can also include:

• an inability to control the bladder or bowels resulting in incontinence or retention of waste
• pain in one or both of your legs
• numbness in one or both of your legs
• weakness in one or both of your legs, making it hard to get up after sitting
• stumbling when you try to get up
• a noticeable progression or sudden or severe loss of feeling in the lower body which includes the area between your legs, buttock, inner thighs, heels, and entire foot

Final Thoughts

Sciatica pain is a painful sensation that occurs when the sciatica nerve is irritated, and if you have this, you can feel moderate to severe pain in addition to weakness or numbness in your back, buttocks, and legs.

With the help of cold and hot compresses, stretching, over-the-counter pain medications, and regular exercising, you can manage your pain.

Moreover, you can also talk with your doctor about physical therapy, prescription medication, a steroid medication, and surgery for severe situations. While using complementary treatment along with medical treatment can also provide further relief.