What Is Sciatica pain?
Does it feel like an electric shock in your back, buttock, thigh, or calf area? Sciatica pain could be the issue. This kind of condition arises if the sciatic nerve is damaged, compressed or there is some pressure being exerted on it.
What are the Types of sciatica?
The types of sciatica can be determined by the continuance of symptoms and whether it is impacting one leg or both legs.
- Acute sciatica: This is the case when the sciatic nerve pain has been present for 4-8 weeks. This condition can be managed by the patient himself/herself. It has been frequently noted that a large number of patients are successful at managing their condition by themselves. They do not usually require additional medical therapy.
- Chronic sciatica: In this case, the patient has been experiencing sciatica pain for more than 8 weeks. When a patient experiences this kind of pain then they are usually unable to manage it by themselves. The doctor may suggest invasive or non-invasive therapy.
- Bilateral sciatica: In this case, the patient experiences sciatica pain in both legs at the same time. This condition is not commonly reported. It has severe implications such as degenerative changes in the vertebrae. It can also damage the discs at different spinal levels. Other conditions like cauda equina syndrome can also lead to bilateral sciatica.
What are Common symptoms and causes of sciatica pain?
Sciatic nerve dysfunction leads to sciatica pain and it usually presents as the following symptoms:
- Pain in the lower back, hips, thighs, and calves feeling like electric shocks. The pain might happen with coughing, sneezing, or movement about the legs.
- Pins and needles sensation in the feet
- Muscle weakness in the legs and backs
- Urinary bladder incontinence
- Accidental bowel leakage
If the sciatica is from the L4 nerve root then the additional symptoms could be:
- Loss of feeling in the inner calf
- Loss or decrease in the knee-jerk reflex
If the sciatica is from the L5 nerve root then the additional symptoms could be:
- Loss of feeling in the skin over the hallux and second toe and the skin between them.
- Issues with ankle movement
- Difficulty in moving the big toe in an upward direction
If the sciatica is from the S1 nerve root then the additional symptoms could be:
- Sensation loss in the side of the foot, specifically in the region consisting of the 3rd 4th, and 5th toe.
- Issues with walking as the patient is unable to lift their heel from the ground or walk on tiptoes.
- Absence or decrease in ankle-jerk reflex.
Causes of Lumbar radiculopathy:
- Cauda equina syndrome.
- Conus medullas syndrome.
- Degenerative disk disease.
- Foraminal stenosis.
- Herniated disks.
- Injuries.
- Osteoarthritis.
- Pelvic injury
- Piriformis syndrome
- Pregnancy.
- Slipped disk
- Spinal stenosis.
- Spondylolisthesis.
- Tumors, cysts, or other growths.
- Tumors
What is the Best sleeping position for sciatica pain?
Sleeping position plays a major role in the functioning of the body, especially in the cases of Sciatic nerve dysfunction patients.
People who sleep on their sides need to flex their knees to a small extent, take a normal pillow, and put it in between the knees.
It has been researched that sleeping on the back or the stomach is not a very favorable option as it raises the frequency of back pain. This is because the spinal joints are faced with heightened pressure. However, some patients are used to sleeping on their backs. They should make sure that their buttocks and heels are constantly touching the mattress. The knees need to be slightly flexed in the upward direction. A pillow should be gently placed below the knees. Then, start adding more pillows to ensure that the knee and back are feeling fine. For this, a patient can choose the pillow of his/her choice.
What are the risk factors for sciatica?
Sciatica is more frequently seen in the following conditions:
- Patients suffering from conditions such as depression.
- Smokers
- Obese patients
- Older patients having a more-than-average height
- Patients who have a family history of sciatica
- A Vitamin B 12 deficiency condition
- Patients having an inactive lifestyle
- Patients having a job in which they have an uncomfortable position at their desk
- It can also be occupation-based. It is more commonly seen in drivers, machine operators
- Patients having spinal injury
- Osteoarthritis patients
- Type-2 diabetes patients
- Nicotine users
How is sciatica diagnosed?
A doctor would first take down the past medical history of a patient and also perform an in-depth physical evaluation. It is very important to inform the doctor about any changes, small or big, including restriction in movement, and pain during certain movements.
- A doctor would first look into the walking technique. Sciatica patients usually report a change in their walking style and the change is also evident to the doctor on examination.
- A very accurate test for diagnosis of Sciatic nerve dysfunction is a straight leg raise. While resting on the flat examination table surface, the doctor would tell the patient to lift one leg slowly. At a particular angle, one might start feeling pain. This could suggest sciatica. The same approach would be repeated with the other leg too.
- The doctor could also check the lower back, legs, calves, thighs, etc for a reduction in strength and decreased flexibility. The patient might not be able to bend their feet or in general bend in the anterior or posterior direction.
The doctor could then also like to run a few tests like:
- CT scan (spine)
- X-ray (spine)
- MRI
- Nerve conduction velocity studies
- Electromyography.
- Myelogram
The diagnosis of sciatica is a combination of past medical history, physical examination, and other diagnostic tests.
How to sciatica pain treated permanently?
Sciatica pain can be treated to a large extent by using medications like Pain O Soma 500 (Carisoprodol 500mg) and Aspadol 100 (Tapentadol 100 mg). Both medications are available at really affordable prices from Cheaptrustedpharmacy. The medications available there are safe to use as they are FDA-approved. The website securely stores the data and the payment gateways are also very protected. On buying the medications from Cheaptrustedpharmacy, one gets access to an easy return and exchange system too. If you fund a medication in a damaged condition, simply place a request and the medication will be collected from your door. A new order will be delivered or a full refund will be initiated. In case a medicine is no longer required, it can be simply returned and a refund would be processed.
