How to Recognize Sciatica

Sciatica is one of the common problems that affect the people at any age. Sciatica is a severe painful condition that happens due to the entrapment of the Sciatic nerve. This nerve arises from the lumber spine, and it runs down the leg on the respective site. Common causes of Sciatic nerve entrapment are; the disc herniation, degenerating changes at lumber spine and trauma, etc. Many people don’t give importance to their back pain, and in the long run they have to bear a lot of problems. This is necessary to recognize the signs and symptoms in Sciatica, so that the people would come to know that what the problem is going on with them and what they should do in this regard.

The most important sign in Sciatica is the sharp pain or dull pain that happens on one side of the body. Since Sciatica is related to the nerve, therefore; the pain transmits through the whole course of a nerve until it reaches the last end. The Sciatica pain arises at the level of lower side of back, and then it runs down the leg until the calf muscles are reached.

Sometimes the pain becomes paralyzing in nature, and a patient would become unable to move the leg while walking or running. The pain becomes unbearable and therefore, it is required by the patients that they should seek the solution for this problem. There are many individuals, who use to get numbness and tingling at the lower side of back, thigh and calf muscles. This tingling and numbness show the entrapment of nerve and the severity of symptoms are related to the degree of entrapment. Sometimes it becomes mandatory to release the nerve tension by surgical intervention if the pain persists and if there is a danger of permanent nerve damage.

The symptoms in Sciatica are clear, and they can be recognized easily. Pain increases in severity due to long standing and walking. The pain decreases while lying down or taking rest. A patient becomes unable to elevate his leg straight above the ground in lying down position (straight leg rising – SLR). This test is usually performed at the doctor’s clinic in order to diagnose Sciatica.
There are different tests, including X-rays and MRI, which are advised in order to confirm the diagnosis of this condition. In the majority of cases, patients get relief by taking painkillers like Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and physiotherapy. In some cases surgery is proposed where there are the chances of critical nerve entrapment and when the pain is not going to be relieved by conservative measures.

This article is provided for information purposes only. Please consult a doctor for treatment options. This article is not written by a doctor or checked for accuracy by a physician.

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