The sciatic nerve hurts - what should I do? The principles for treating sciatica will be discussed in detail below. You will also learn why this disease occurs and what its symptoms are.
Basic information
Injury to the sciatic nerve, the symptoms of which are difficult to miss, as well as lumbar sciatica, accompanied by pinching of the roots of the sacral region, are one and the same disease. The pain syndrome with it is localized in the thigh, lumbar region, foot and lower leg. It also intensifies when walking and coughing.
At the very beginning of the development of the disease, it proceeds as a lumbago, lumbalgia or lumboischialgia.
It is impossible not to say that sciatica is a synonym for this pathological condition. In medical practice, it is also called neuritis, inflammation or pinching of the sciatic nerve. Its main symptom is lower back pain, which radiates to the leg.
In the absence of proper treatment, the pain syndrome with such a disease is weak and intolerable. In the latter case, a sick person can neither sleep nor stay awake normally.
Main reasons
Why does sciatic nerve infringement occur (symptoms of this condition will be presented below)? Modern medicine claims that such a disease can be associated with mechanical (for example, vertebral hernia, displacement of the vertebrae or osteochondrosis) or temperature (for example, severe hypothermia) factors.
It should also be noted that in some cases this pathological phenomenon occurs due to a tumor, Reiter's syndrome, infection, etc.
In addition to the listed diseases, buttock pain extending to the leg may be associated with the development of the following pathologies:
- Sciatica accompanied by compression of the nerve fibers with a hematoma or post-injection abscesses.
- Sciatica accompanied by tunnel neuropathies (including piriformis syndrome ).
- Neuropathy associated with metabolic disorders (including alcoholism, diabetes mellitus and others).
- Sciatic nerve injury due to improper injection, hip and pelvic fractures.
- Sciatica, which developed against the background of neuropathy under the influence of certain toxic substances.
Before telling you how to cure a sciatic nerve, it should be told that more often adults suffer from such a disease. Much less often, sciatica develops at the age of 20-26 years. In addition, this disease can occur in the last months of pregnancy due to the fact that the load on the vertebral column of the future woman in labor is significantly increased.
Other causes
Why does sciatica occur (symptoms and treatment of this disease will be presented later)? The reasons for the development of this disease are many. The most common factors are as follows:
- regular weight lifting;
- making sudden movements;
- intense physical activity against the background of the usual fixed lifestyle;
- hypothermia;
- severe emotional shocks or stressful conditions.
Location
Where does the sciatic nerve hurt? What is its location? Experts say that these are the two longest and largest nerves in the human body. They pass on both sides of the lower back to the fingers of the lower extremities.
As a rule, with inflammation of this nerve, the patient begins to worry about pain in only one of them, localized behind the thigh, in the gluteus muscle, and also behind the knee along the calf, to the foot.
Main symptoms
How is sciatica manifested? Symptoms and treatment of this disease are known to few. With neuritis, pain can be burning, stitching, sharp and cutting. They can suddenly arise and disappear just as suddenly. In more severe cases, inflammation is chronic.
Typically, such attacks occur after physical or emotional overstrain. They can also bother after hypothermia.
Along the nerve with such a disease, the sensitivity of the skin can be impaired and tingling, numbness, goosebumps and so on can appear.
Other symptoms
Pain in the buttock, extending to the leg, is the main symptom of the disease in question. Also, pain can extend along the back of the thigh, gradually descending to the foot and lower leg.
After the attack, discomfort remains between the 1st sacral and 5th lumbar vertebrae, as well as in the center of the buttock and under the knee.
Due to severe pain, a person may lose consciousness. In addition, he may experience vegetative disorders such as excessive sweating of the legs, redness of the skin, and swelling.
When the sciatic nerve is pinched, the pain can intensify with prolonged walking, standing, and also when sitting on a hard surface. To improve his condition, the patient takes a forced position of the body, in which he relies on a healthy lower limb. Therefore, one of the signs of the disease in question is gait disturbance.
In case of severe inflammation of the sciatic fiber, the symptoms are expressed in a complete violation or a strong decrease in nerve function. With such a disease, the femoral, gluteal or calf muscle can even decrease. At the same time, the patient experiences difficulties when trying to bend his lower leg, toes or turn his foot. This happens due to temporary immobilization of muscle tissue on the back of the thigh.
Diagnostics
The sciatic nerve hurts - what should I do? First you need to contact a neurologist. Before prescribing treatment, a specialist must determine the cause of the development of pain in the sciatic nerve. Only after that he can conduct an adequate diagnosis, because sciatica is only a syndrome that can accompany completely different pathological conditions.
First of all, the neurologist examines the patient, checking his reflexes on the legs by tapping with a hammer. It also determines the sensitivity on the skin, which allows us to assess the degree of damage to the NS.
So what if the sciatic nerve hurts? What to do with such a pathological condition in order to identify the cause of its development? For diagnosis, the most accessible and simplest method is radiography. It is the picture taken that can confirm or exclude serious bone changes.
In the event that such a diagnosis is not enough, a specialist may recommend an MRI or CT scan.
If a tumor is suspected, a radioisotope scan of the spinal column may be used. Most often, this procedure is recommended to people who have been taking corticosteroid drugs for a long time, as well as to HIV-infected patients.
The sciatic nerve hurts - what should I do?
With the development of such a disease, treatment should be trusted only by a qualified neurologist. Modern medicine provides several methods for the treatment of sciatica. Let's consider them in more detail.
Physiotherapy
According to experts, this method of treatment helps to significantly reduce pain, but does not eliminate the true cause of the disease. The doctor can prescribe procedures for his patient such as electrophoresis with vitamins, antispasmodics, anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants, as well as phonophoresis, UHF therapy, laser or magnetic laser therapy, paraffin baths, electrosleep, ultraviolet radiation in the affected area, etc.
As practice shows, the effect of physiotherapy significantly improves blood circulation, and also relieves pain and swelling.
Reflexology and massage
How to cure sciatic nerve? During the subsidence of the acute inflammatory process, general and can massage, cauterization and acupuncture sessions, acupressure are highly effective. It should also be noted that the use of "needles" - the Kuznetsov applicator - helps to significantly alleviate pain and remove excessive muscle tissue tension.
According to neurologists, absolutely any type of reflexology and massage can improve lymph flow, reduce pain, restore nerve function and prevent muscle hypotrophy.
Medications
What injections are prescribed for sciatic nerve pathologically inflamed? The most effective are non-steroidal painkillers. They are drugs that can stop the action of the COX enzyme and have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.
So what medicines treat the sciatic nerve? Drugs belonging to the above pharmacological group are sold in all pharmacies. Typically used are Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Indomethacin, Ortofen, Sulindak, Cebrex, Ketorolac and Naproxen. All of these tools have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive tract and negatively affect the kidneys, as well as reduce blood coagulation. In this regard, their use should be limited.
Also, with inflammation of the sciatic nerve, the neurologist can prescribe vitamins (especially B vitamins), mineral complexes and medicines that improve blood circulation and metabolic processes, as well as relax muscle tissue.
Physiotherapy
With sciatica, even the simplest exercises are very effective. However, they should be performed only after the acute process subsides, that is, during periods of remission.
Gymnastics must be done slowly and smoothly, without much stress.
The main recommendations for the regime
In acute sciatica, the patient should observe bed rest. In this case, it is advisable to use a hard mattress. It is also necessary to limit motor activity (until acute inflammation has passed). In addition, it is possible to alternately apply heating pads and ice, massage in the area of localization of pain and other things.