Sciatica Information and Overview

Sciatica describes the symptoms of leg pain, which also could include tingling, numbness, or weakness that travels from the lower back through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve, which is in the back of the leg. Most people with sciatica get better usually after a few weeks or months and find relief with non-surgical treatment. For others though, it can be severe and weakening.

The clinical diagnosis of sciatica is known as "radiculopathy", which means that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.

A thing you must know is that sciatica is a symptom of a problem (something compressing or irritating the nerve roots that comprise the sciatic nerve) rather than a medical diagnosis or disorder in itself. This needs to be known as it is the underlying diagnosis (vs. the symptoms of sciatica) that often needs to be treated in order to relieve the pain.

Sciatica most frequently occurs in people between 30 and 50 years of age. Generally sciatica is developed as a result of wear and tear on the lower spine, and not from a certain event or injury.

Sciatica Symptoms

Some people experience severe and debilitating pain, while others online experience infrequent and irritating pain, which has the potential to get worse. While sciatica has the potential to be painful, rarely will permanent nerve damage happen. Most people experience pain from inflammation and will get better within two weeks to a few months. Since the spinal cord is not located in the lower (lumbar) spine, a herniated disc in this area doesn't present a danger of paralysis.

There are sciatica symptoms that may constitute a medical emergency, including:

• Progressing weakness in the leg
• Bladder and or bladder incontinence/dysfunction

The above symptoms may mean a patient has cauda equina syndrome and should seek medical attention immediately. In addition, patients with the following should contact their doctor if sciatica occurs:

• people who have been diagnosed with cancer
• people who take steroid medication
• people who abuse drugs
• people who have unexplained weight loss
• people who have HIV

Sciatica Treatment

Sciatica nerve pain is caused by the combination of pressure and inflammation on the nerve root, so treatment is focused on relieving both of these factors. Typical sciatica treatments include:

• Non-surgical treatments, which may include one or a combination of medical treatments and non-medical (alternative) treatments. These almost always include some form of stretching and exercising. The goal of these treatments is to relieve sciatica pain and prevention of future sciatica symptoms.
• Surgery, such as microdisectomy or lumbar laminectomy and disectomy, which removes the portion of the disc that is the irritant of the nerve root. The surgery is designed to review the pressure and inflammation, and may be used if the pain is severe and hasn't been relieved with medical treatments.

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