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SciaticaFor detailed information on sciatic nerve pain, please visit my Sciatica Site on the Cure Back Pain Network.
What is Sciatica?Sciatic nerve pain describes neurological symptoms which occur in the lower back, buttocks, legs and feet. The most typical of these symptoms include pain, tingling, weakness and numbness. Sciatic nerve symptoms can be very diverse and are guaranteed to affect each patient in a unique pattern. Some patients endure tremendous pain, while others put up with merely annoying sciatic expressions. Many patients deal with considerable lower back pain, while other patients report the worst of their symptoms in the lower extremities. Various patients might report burning pain, shooting pain, radiating pain, sudden pain, intermittent pain or activity related pain as part of their sciatic nerve misery. One thing is common to ALL sciatic conditions… They make life a living hell and can be extremely debilitating when the symptoms are at their worst!Sciatica CausesSciatic nerve pain can exist from a wide range of potential causations. Ischemic sciatic pain is extremely common, since even low levels of oxygen deprivation can create significant symptoms in the back, buttocks, legs and feet. Spinal stenosis can create sciatic nerve pain and related symptoms when it occurs in the lumbar spine. Foraminal stenosis, due to osteoarthritis and/or bone spur formation can pinch off nerve roots which tie into the sciatic nerve, causing symptoms in rare instances. Of course, herniated discs can also be responsible for sciatic symptoms in patients who demonstrate particular disc pain profiles.Sciatica and Herniated DiscsAlthough most herniated discs are not symptomatic and will never cause pain or other symptoms, some can create real problems in the spinal anatomy. A herniated disc might compress a spinal nerve root, which will eventually meet up with the sciatic nerve. This condition is actually a form of foraminal stenosis, but the underlying cause is compression due to the herniation blocking the neuroforamen opening. A herniated disc can also very rarely create a stenosis condition on the actual spinal cord or cauda equina. When this occurs to a mild degree, sciatic nerve pain might ensue. When this effect is significant, cauda equina syndrome is a possible result.Sciatica AdviceIn all my years of studying chronic pain, sciatic nerve conditions have always presented themselves as the most puzzling, treatment-resistant and sometimes completely illogical of all back pain syndromes. Sciatica pain is very difficult to accurately diagnose in most patients and even more tricky to treat effectively. It is no surprise that many patients who can not find relief from a variety of treatment options are actually misdiagnosed and typically suffering from a simple ischemic process. Remember, ischemia affects nerve tissue more than any other type of cell. Nerves are the first to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation and symptoms will begin almost immediately. I always recommend knowledge therapy for patients with chronic sciatic nerve pain. I love to hear how well it worked compared to all the physical medical modalities which failed miserably…My sciatic nerve pain had a million different faces. It changed regularly and affected me in so many ways for 18 years. I suffered some times of intense back pain and only minor symptoms in my legs, while other times I could barely stand, sit or walk due to the intense leg pain in my thighs, calves and groin. Worse of all was the lowest back pain which felt like a stabbing hot knife being stuck into my spine, just above my tailbone. It was torture! I will never forget how my life spun virtually out of control due to my chronic pain. Luckily, I will also never forget the easy and effective curative solutions I found… 7/6/08 Revised 12/5/09
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