May 4th 2009

Sciatica Symptoms, Sciatica Treatment

Sciatica is a very common condition and has several main causes, some of the main ones being reviewed here.

Below are a selection of some natural treatments you may find useful in treating this condition:

sudden shooting pain in lower backThis article looks at the 4 main causes of Sciatica and helps you identify which one may be causing your back pain.

Sciatica is a condition where pressure is placed on the sciatic nerve, causing localized back pain. Thankfully, there are only 4 main causes for Sciatica.

1. Piriformis Syndrome. This condition is where an imbalance in the muscles leads to the hips and pelvis being out of alignment. This imbalance ultimately shortens and tightens the piriformis muscle, with in turn puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. With 640 muscles in the body, all it takes is 1 to be out of balance and you have a problem.When we talk about a muscle imbalance, we mean that one side is stronger than the other, which effectively pulls the other side (and the bones and joints) out of place.

2. Herniated discs. A herniated disc is where a disc sticks out from between the vertebra. You guessed it already — it’s caused by a muscle imbalance and resulting pressure over time leads to this condition. You may also have guessed that no amount of chiropractic work, drugs, injections or stimulation can correct a muscle imbalance. Sadly, many people struggle with back pain for years because they never get to the underlying problem of why the disc became herniated in the first place.

3. Spinal stenosis. Spinal stenonis is a condition where the spinal canal narrows and pressure is placed on the nerves and there are 4 main causes.

Aging: the aging process effects the ligaments between vertebra and also the facet joints of the spinal column by making them harden.

causes symptoms of lower back painSpurs can also develop on the bones.

Trauma: car accidents, lifting injuries, etc, can damage the delicate spine and spinal canal.

Heredity: A small spinal canal or other structural problem can lead to spinal stenosis in a young person.

Fluorosis: caused by over-exposure to chemicals or other fluoride containing materials and leads to a softening of the bones or hardening of the ligaments.

4. Isthmic Spondylolisthesis. This is where one vertebra slips out of position and effectively moves in and out of place, which causes pain in the nerves of the spinal canal. It is primarily caused by degenerative diseases like arthritis and in the area where there is the most curvature of the spine.

So there you have it, the 4 main causes of Sciatica.

The next step to permanent relief from back pain is to identify the muscle imbalances. Once they have been determined, then you must take the right steps towards correcting them. You now have a great understanding of just how back pain develops, so you are in a much better position to formulate a strategy for recovery than 95% of everyone else out there.

Check out these scaitica exercises…

Derek Semp is the author of the recently released ebook, “Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Back Pain And Physical Therapy But Never Dared To Ask.” He runs http://backpainz.com

By Matt Canham

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April 20th 2009

Treatment For Sciatica, Causes, Symptoms Of Sciatica

shooting pains in lower legThe sciatic nerve is formed from the lower segments of the spinal cord. Sciatic nerve pain occurs when there is damage to the sciatic nerve.

Try this home remedy for pain

Sciatica can be very frightening especially if you don’t realize what is wrong…

The sciatic nerve is formed from the lower segments of the spinal cord.

Sciatic nerve pain occurs when there is damage to the sciatic nerve. It occurs due to a pinched nerve near a disc at the spinal cord or a bone. The pain runs from the buttocks down the back of the leg.

Sciatic nerve pain occurs where there is damage to the sciatic nerve located at the back of the leg.

Prevention is better than cure. See how.

This nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg and provides sensation to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg and the sole of the foot.

Common symptoms of sciatic nerve pain include:

  • Cramping sensation of the thigh
  • Shooting pains from the buttocks down the leg
  • Tingling or pins and needles sensations in the legs and thighs
  • Burning sensation in the thigh

Lose Sciatica pain in 7 days! Find out how here.

Sciatica can develop in almost anyone with an age ranging from 30 to 50 year old patients. The sciatic nerve, like most other nerves, performs two basic functions, first it sends signals to your muscles from the brain, and second it collects sensory information from the legs and passes this back to your brain. When people normally refer to sciatica, it is not necessarily a problem of the sciatic nerve; it is a problem of the nerve when it is being pinched as it exits from the spine.

The sciatic nerve is commonly injured by the fractures of the pelvis or other trauma to the buttocks or to the thigh.  This pressure is created due to prolonged sitting or lying in a particular position, which gradually injures the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve may also be harmed by pressure from such as tumor or bleeding in the pelvis. Depending on where the sciatic nerve is affected, the pain may also radiate to the foot or toes. The following sensations may occur as a result of sciatica:

  • Pain at the back or leg that is worse when sitting.
  • Burning or tingling sensation down the leg
  • Difficulty moving the leg or foot due to weakness or numbness
  • A constant pain on one side of the rear that makes difficulty to stand up.

Precautions to be taken:
Sciatica can be very frightening especially if you don’t realize what is wrong. You begin to feel that you may become crippled, although most of the time sciatic nerve pain can be treated effectively. For the first few days it is very important to stay off your feet. Getting up and down repeatedly causes the nerve to become more irritated. Warm water soaking can be very soothing but prolonged heat draws the inflammation in, keeping the swelling high. Most doctors tell their patients to apply ice packs directly on to their lower back area for about twenty minutes, every couple of hours. Although this can feel like a torture, the cold pack reduces swelling.

Treatment:
Some doctors prescribe medicines but medications can be highly addictive.

Substitute addictive drugs with  natural pain killers or through learning  how to apply self hypnosis or even learning how to ‘tap’ your pain away with EFT

Surgery is not considered as a good alternative as it only helps about one in a hundred people. Surgery has also been known to cause even more damage in many cases. Only open back surgery can correct sciatica but it also may bring with it high risks and many complications. There is also another treatment that is the laser spine treatment where the protruded disc is removed with laser so that the spinal cord or the nerve root is no longer impinged.

By Jayashree Pakhare

Find a Good Lower Back Exercise For Sciatica Pain

If you have problems with your sciatica nerve, you are likely to be seeking a decent lower back exercise that acts quickly to help you get rid of the pain.

Obesity As a Source of Back Pain and Sciatica

Back pain and sciatica affect millions of Americans every year. Half a million Americans undergo life changing surgery as a result of the pain

Yoga poses for sciatica: exercise for sciatica

Sciatica is a shooting pain that begins from the lower end of the spine, travels through the buttocks and then to the back of the leg. Apart from the pain, the affected person feels a tingling sensation, weakness or numbness

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