Issue 35.16
Have you ever had pain in your back and leg and had your friend or the doctor tell you that you have sciatica? What is Sciatica? What causes it and how can you make it go away?
Sciatica is really a descriptive term. It is used when there are painful symptoms along the path of the sciatic nerve, which starts in the back, travels through the buttocks and then goes all the way down the legs to the feet. Pain can range from mild to severe to excruciating but fortunately there are some helpful treatments.
It helps first to understand what causes sciatica in order to understand how to make it go away and prevent it from coming back. Although the sciatica pain can be felt all the way to the feet the most common source of the pain is from the nerves leaving the spine in the low back or lumbar region. Most commonly irritation to these nerves comes from a herniated disc in the spine or from overgrowth of bone (a bone spur) that crowds the nerve. In rare cases a tumor or disease like diabetes can cause irritation to the nerve leading to pain. The pain can be both from physical pressure on the nerve as well as inflammation from chemicals produced by injury or tissue irritation. Pain is often described as shooting or electrical pain, burning, tingling or numbness. There can be discomfort anywhere along the leg; in the buttocks, the back of the leg, calf and into the feet. Relieving the inflammation, irritation and crowding of the nerve is the key to relieving the pain.
The nerves from our spine are very sensitive and even small changes can result in worsening of pain. Bending and lifting or sitting down for a long period of time put a lot of strain on the discs in the back, increasing the pressure and inflammation of nearby nerves. Tightened muscles caused by the pain make the problem worse and contribute to a cycle of pain and irritation.
However like small changes can make it worse, small improvements can break the cycle of pain and give relief. In fact the majority of people can experience improvement in their symptoms with simple at home measures. The key is to improve or remove the irritation to the nerve and keep the muscles from tightening and causing a cycle of pain. Ice can relieve symptoms early on and can promote healing. Heat can help loosen tight muscles and stretching can relieve tension and reduce compression to nerves. Over the counter medications like ibuprofen and naproxen can also sometimes be helpful. When the pain has gone away it is wise to maintain good spine health by keeping the muscles in the back and core flexible and strong thus protecting the vulnerable areas in the spine.
When the pain is severe or persists and at home measures aren’t making a difference there are effective injections that can be performed. Epidural steroid injections can place a strong anti-inflammatory medication near the irritated nerve root. This can greatly reduce or eliminate painful symptoms for a time to allow you to get back to the activities that will keep your spine healthy, protect vulnerable nerves or discs and prevent future injury.
Surgery is also an option that is used when other therapies have not worked or in cases where there is weakness in the legs or loss of control of bowel or bladder. Surgery can remove parts of the disc or bones that are putting pressure on the nerves and causing pain.
Back pain and sciatica are very common and affect a great number of people. With the right treatments and care of your back you can greatly improve your quality of life.
The medical staff at Southwest Spine and Pain Center practice precision and expertise in all areas of their work. From administering injections to handling advanced spine treatments, our team is committed to providing compassion and hope to patients suffering from pain.
Dr. Hillstead can be contacted at 435-619-8630.