Do you have pain or a tingling sensation that runs down the back of your thigh and into your calf? Your radiating pain suggests sciatica.
Sciatica is a group symptoms produced by the sciatic nerve. This nerve is the longest in the body, originating in the lower spine, coursing through the hip area, down the back of the leg and culminating in the sole. Having sciatica means you’re experiencing pain, dull ache, muscle weakness, numbness, burning or tingling anywhere along the length of sciatic nerve route.
Typically, sciatica starts slowly and is only felt on one side of your body. You may find that your mild misery worsens when your sneeze, cough or laugh, and can emerge more bothersome after long periods of standing or sitting. Unfortunately for some, sciatic nerve pain builds to such an excruciating level that movement becomes impossible.
Sciatica is a symptom of another health condition, its discomfort created by compression, pressure or damage of the sciatic nerve. Very often this pinched nerve feeling is caused by a herniated disk. However, these other conditions can be the cause of your sciatic nerve pain as well:
- spinal tumor
- pelvic fracture
- spinal stenosis
- spondylolisthesis
- sciatic nerve tumor
- piriformis syndrome
- trauma to lower back
- degenerative disc disease
If your underlying cause is treated, you have a good chance of total relief from sciatica within a few months. Even without identification, some do recover with limited at home measures, like:
- careful stretching, massage of low back
- sleep curled up with pillow between legs
- remain active, yet avoid nerve pain triggers
- use of cold & hot packs to reduce nerve inflammation
- use of OTC pain relievers & NSAIDs ~ aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen
For an enumerable number of cases, these conservative measures have afforded relief for sciatic nerve pain. The next level of pain management may involve physical therapy, coupled with taking prescription anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, narcotic or even antidepressant drugs to help ease your chronic pain. And having cortisone injection may be useful.
Usually only after all other attempts at treatment fail, surgery may be required to relieve extreme sciatica caused pain or cauda equina syndrome.