Many people know firsthand what sensations can be experienced when the sciatic nerve is inflamed. Symptoms are based on pain. What are the causes of inflammation, what methods can be treated and how to prevent the disease?
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body. It begins in the lumbar region of the spine, originating in five points of the spinal cord, then goes down, along the back of the thigh, branches, innervating the thigh, knee, lower leg, ankle, foot, and toes.
If the exit points from the spinal cord are affected, the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed . Symptoms in this case are accompanied by pain and often a violation of sensitivity. This disease is called "sciatica" or "sciatic nerve neuritis" and is one of the manifestations of radiculitis. Sciatica is often accompanied by intervertebral hernia.
Reasons: The main causes of sciatica are various inflammations of the spine, for example, osteochondrosis, hypothermia, joint inflammation, displacement of the intervertebral disc, spinal injury, severe physical exertion, diabetes mellitus and various infectious diseases.
Symptoms: If the sciatic nerve is inflamed, the symptoms are expressed in pain along the entire nerve. In terms of severity, the pain can be different - from mild to intense pulsating.
With further damage to the upper sections of the nerve, patients have a limitation of limb movement in the knee joint, numbness of the muscles of the foot, violation of the sensitivity of the foot and the outer surface of the lower leg.
In some cases, with inflammation of one of the branches of the sciatic nerve - the peroneal nerve, sagging of the foot, the patient's inability to stand on the heel, and a change in gait are noted. With bilateral such lesions, the patient's movement resembles a cock's gait.
If the sciatic nerve is partially inflamed, the symptoms are expressed in acute pain of a burning character. Such pains occur spontaneously, can be aggravated by some irritants that are not directed to the skin, for example, by bright light or loud sounds.
Sometimes the pain decreases from exposure to cold water, so some to reduce unpleasant sensations apply a towel dampened with cold water to the sore spot.
Diagnosis: It is possible to diagnose that the sciatic nerve was pinched by the characteristic symptoms of the disease, as well as data from laboratory examinations of the fluid of the spinal cord and x-ray examination.
When examining the fluid of the spinal cord in the acute course of sciatica, it contains the maximum number of cellular elements or pleocytosis, which indicates the presence of inflammation.
X-ray examination allows you to identify the cause of inflammation, for example, disorders in the spine. It is impossible to see soft tissue abnormalities in X-ray photographs, therefore, magnetic resonance imaging is indicated for this purpose, showing the structure of the back in detail and accurately.
Treatment: In the conservative treatment of sciatica , various drugs are used that have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, absorbable and decongestant effects. In combination with the main treatment, physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy, massage, hydrotherapy, and vitamin therapy are recommended.
If conservative treatment does not have the desired effect, then in some cases surgical intervention is recommended, in which the cause of the inflammation, for example, intervertebral hernia , is eliminated .
If sciatica occurs against the background of an injury with a complete break of the nerve trunk, a surgical operation is necessary, during which the peripheral and central segments of the damaged area are stitched.
Folk remedies: If the sciatic nerve is caught, then you can use folk remedies:
1. The rubbing of the affected area with alcohol solutions, for example, tincture of hot pepper.
2.To relieve pain, you can mix a glass of flour and three tablespoons of honey, without adding water, knead the dough, form a cake out of it, which is applied to the sacral region, cover with polyethylene, insulate and leave overnight. In the morning, remove the cake and rinse the place of application with warm water.
3.Take infusion of St. John's wort, pouring two tablespoons of herb with two glasses of boiling water. Insist the resulting solution and take it on an empty stomach three to four times a day.
Treatment of sciatica with the help of folk recipes will be more effective if massage and physiotherapy are added to such treatment and the methods of traditional treatment are not neglected.