What Is Sciatica?
Have you ever experienced a cramping sensation along your thigh? Or a shooting pain from your backside down to your legs? Then you are probably experiencing sciatica. It consists of an inflammation in the sciatic nerve, which causes sensory and muscular malfunctions in your body, specifically in your legs and thighs. The sciatic nerve, the large peripheral nerve in your body, functions by sending messages about movements to your legs while collecting information about your sensations back to the brain. Sciatica is commonly caused by a herniated spinal disc. With Sciatica, there are ruptures between the normal cushions on your vertebra. The discs are forcibly pushed into regions where the nerves usually occupy, and this causes a compression among the nerves. You will experience sciatica symptoms such as pain in your back, weakness, and numbness in your legs. Typically, people ranging from 30 to 50 years old are prone to getting sciatica.
If you notice a tingling or burning sensation in your thighs and legs, especially when you cough or try squatting, immediately consult a doctor to see if you have sciatica. You can also try a chiropractor. The doctor will perform several exams and conduct a history check to verify if your symptoms are caused by sciatica. Once that doctors diagnoses you with Sciatica you will be given Motrin or Celebrex, anti-inflammatory medicine and some muscle relaxants. Doctors will also advise you to rest during the treatment as to not stress your back. There are also more effective treatments such as stronger anti-inflammatory treatments like Medrol Dose-Pak or Epidural Steroid Injection. Ice packs and physical therapy are also helpful while undergoing treatment. Often surgery is not required unless the patient is still experiencing symptoms for a minimum of three months. The ruptured disc will be removed to free up the compressed bone around the nerve. Sciatica is curable and mostly 80%-90% of sciatica patients recover within 3-weeks to 3 months without the need of surgical treatment.
