Are You Suffering From Sciatica?
Watch this video to learn about how it is formed.
What Is Sciatica?
Your nervous system is essentially a large electrical grid. Your spinal cord sends an electrical nerve impulse that runs between your brain and lower back.
From there, individual nerves emerge from your spine and send impulses to your lower body to supply sensation and movement.
This is what allows you to move as well as feel sensations like touch, heat, cold and pain. Anything that interferes with this transmission can create pain and problems. The more intense the interference in this nerve communication, the farther down your leg the discomfort goes.
What Symptoms Are Associated With Sciatica?
If you are suffering from sciatica then you have been diagnosed with a "Lumbar Radiculopathy".
What this means is that there is a single nerve or multiple nerves emerging from your lower back that have become irritated or possibly pinched. This often results in the patient suffering from pain, numbness or tingling in the specific area of your leg that is supplied by the irritated nerve.
The term "Sciatica" is often used to describe this condition because most (but not all) "lumbar radiculopathies" cases impact or involve the sciatic nerve which supplies the back & outside of your thigh and calf. Symptoms of lumbar radiculopathy can be varied but most suffer from some form of a dull ache to a constant severe sharp shooting pain. In some cases, you may find that your symptoms are aggravated by certain positions or movements.
How Can Sciatica Be Treated?
The First Step In Treating Sciatica Is Discovering What Is Causing The Sciatica
Sciatica can originate from the low back, sciatic nerve, or even your glute muscles. It is important to discover exactly where the pain begins. Once this is determined, specialized treatment is applied to that area followed by thorough patient education and self treatment strategies to obtain the best results in treatment. The Mckenzie Method Of Mechanical Diagnosis And Therapy is the gold standard for treating sciatic pain at The Hart Wellness Center