| Treating Sciatica And Back Pain |
| Written by Dr. Dirk Kancilia |
| Thursday, 22 July 2010 07:30 |
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Sciatica is a painful condition that causes extreme pain down a person's leg. The cause for this is the irritation of the sciatic nerve - the main nerve to run through the leg. Usually the condition is apparent when the nerves pass through the lowers bones the spine.
Sciatica is a painful condition that causes extreme pain down a person's leg. The cause for this is the irritation of the sciatic nerve - the main nerve to run through the leg. Usually the condition is apparent when the nerves pass through the lowers bones the spine. Sciatica pain commonly becomes mixed with discomfort in the lower back either before or after it fully emerges. This pain is felt down through the legs and sometimes past the knees and into the feet. Another common sensation is that of numbness or weakness of the leg muscles. To establish and diagnose sciatica, doctors often look at which kind of category the pain fits into and the condition of the patient. Certain groups of people are advised to seek the attention of a doctor when experiencing back pain. If this back pain comes after a severe injury, you have or have had cancer at some point, you have lost an unusual amount of weight recently, you are taking steroids or you have been feeling generally unwell. There is no strict treatment plan for this particular back issue, as in most cases, it goes away on its own after a few days. Staying active is helpful - although you may be in a lot of pain and inclined to rest, this usually does not help with the sciatica itself, and only helps with this pain. So bed rest should be kept to a minimum. If the pain is too much, simple painkillers are helpful - like ibuprofen or paracetamol. In severe cases, where simple painkillers do not help, it may be suggested to have an epidural. This is an injection directly into the spine which numbs the nerves that cause the pain. When pain control is not working, surgery may need to be discussed to prevent the nerves from being pressed by the bones. This only happens in very rare cases as the consequences involved in this kind of surgery are very serious. About the Author: For more information on sciatica as well as possible treatment options, visit Dr. Dirk Kancilia's site www.CaliforniaDiscInstitute.com |