What is Sciatica?
9th March, 2011 - Posted by Sarah - No Comments
Almost every week I get new patients coming to see me complaining of sciatica. It seems to be the standard term to describe leg pain, possibly combined with back pain.
But what actually is sciatica?
For a start, it is not a true diagnosis. Sciatica refers to pain caused by irritation to the sciatic nerve and/or the spinal nerve roots which form the sciatic nerve. There are various causes of irritation to the nerve. This must be identified in order to come to an accurate diagnosis.
What is the sciatic nerve and what does it do?
The sciatic nerve travels from the base of your spine, through the buttock and down the back of your thigh and leg, and finally into the base of the foot. It supplies the hip and knee joints, the hamstring muscles (in the back of the thigh), muscles of the calf, and muscles of the sole of the foot. It also supplies the skin of the buttock, back of the thigh and leg and the sole of the foot.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
Irritation to the sciatic nerve can cause pain anywhere along the back of the leg – from the buttock to the foot. It can also cause numbness, pins and needles, shooting pain and weakness in the lower extremity. Sciatica often presents with low back pain. If you are suffering from pain in the front of your leg, it may be a similar condition but it will not be due to the sciatic nerve!
What causes sciatica?
There are many potential causes of sciatica. In rare cases it may be caused by gun shot or stabbing wounds, or by surgical accidents. More common causes include slipped (herniated) disc and degenerative disc disease (wear and tear in the spine).
What else could cause this sort of pain?
A similar condition known as pseudo-sciatica can arise due to pain from the spinal facet joints or sacro-iliac joints which do not cause irritation to the sciatic nerve but refer pain into the leg and buttock.
The nerve can also be compressed by the piriformis muscle in the buttock. This is imaginatively known as piriformis syndrome. Whilst these conditions cause a similar pain pattern, they require slightly different treatment and should resolve more quickly than true sciatica.
What should I do if I believe I have sciatica?
If you are suffering from leg or low back pain, there is one very important symptom that you should look out for. If you are unable to pass water or a bowel motion, or if you cannot feel anything when you wipe yourself after going to the toilet you should seek medical attention IMMEDIATELY! Don’t do anything else – go to A&E straight away. You may have a rare condition called Cauda Equina Syndrome.
If you are not having difficulty going to the toilet, you do not have quite so much to worry about. You may wish to speak to your GP, who will be able to examine you, prescribe painkillers if suitable and possibly refer you for further treatment.
Alternatively, an osteopath or similarly qualified therapist will be able to examine you thoroughly and devise a treatment plan. Recovery may take anything from a few weeks to several months depending on the severity of your condition, and your therapist would be able to advise you of the number of treatments you should expect to have.
