Symptoms and Treatment of Sciatica

The study says if your pain radiates from your lower spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the symptom of sciatica. You might experience some discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, however, it’s especially likely to follow a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.

The pain can vary from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation. Sometimes you feel that somebody has given you an electric shock. The situation can be worse when you cough or sneeze, and prolonged sitting can aggravate symptoms. Usually, there are chances that your only one side of the body gets affected.

Some people also experience numbness, tingling or muscle weakness in the affected leg or foot. You might have pain in one part of your leg and in another part, you feel numbness.

How Sciatica can be diagnosed?

Your spine surgeon will diagnose the symptoms of Sciatica by using the following tests if you are experiencing severe pain and these are as follows:

• X-rays: Your spine surgeon at the hospitals under Spine Surgery India recommends an X-ray as it may reveal an overgrowth of the bone spur which may be pressing on a nerve.
• CT scans: CT scans are used to image your spine; your spine surgeon will inject the contrast dye into your spinal canal before the X-rays are taken and this procedure is known as CT myelogram. The dye then circulates around your spinal cord and spinal nerves, which appear white on the scan.
• MRI: Your spine surgeons conduct MRI’s as this procedure uses a powerful magnet and radio waves which produce cross-sectional images of your back. The purpose to perform MRI is that it will give the detailed images of your bone and soft tissues such as herniated discs. During the test, your spine surgeon will ask you to lie on a table that moves into the MRI machine.
• Electromyography (EMG): Your spine surgeon will conduct the EMG test to measure the electrical impulses produced by your nerves and the responses of your muscles. EMG is a test which confirms the nerve compression that has been caused by herniated discs or narrowing of your spinal canal.

How does the condition of Sciatica can be treated?

The hospitals under Spine Surgery India have various treatments which help to treat the condition of Sciatica and these are as follows:

a) Medications: The types of drugs can be prescribed by your surgeon for sciatica pain and these are:

• Muscle relaxants
• Anti-inflammatories
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Anti-seizure medications
• Narcotics

b) Steroid injections: There are some cases in which your spine surgeon will recommend an injection of a corticosteroid medication into the area around the involved nerve root. This injection helps in reducing pain by suppressing inflammation around the irritated nerve. You will find the effects of this injection usually in a few months. The number of steroid injections given by your spine surgeon is limited as it increases the risk of serious side effects when the injections occur too frequently.

c) Physical therapy: Once your acute pain improves, your spine surgeon or a physical therapist can design a rehabilitation program for you that help in preventing you from future injuries. This includes exercises to correct your posture, strengthen your muscles, supporting your back and improve your flexibility.

d) Surgery: The spine surgeons at the hospitals under Spine Surgery India recommend surgery as the last option which usually reserved for when the compressed nerve causes significant weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control, or when you have pain that doesn’t improve with other therapies. By performing surgery your surgeons will remove the bone spur or the portion of the herniated disc that’s pressing on the pinched nerve.

Home Remedies to treat the condition of sciatica

There are people for whom home remedies are the best treatment to get rid of the condition of sciatica and these are as follows:

a) Hot packs: Your spine surgeon will suggest you apply heat packs after two to three days, to the areas that hurt. You can use hot packs, a heat lamp or a heating pad on the lowest setting. If still pain persists then try alternating warm and cold packs.

b) Cold packs: Initially, to get relief from pain you can place a cold pack on the painful area for up to 20 minutes several times in a day. You can use an ice pack or a package of frozen peas wrapped in a clean towel.

c) Over-the-counter medications: Your spine surgeon may recommend you pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium which is helpful for sciatica.

d) Stretching: Your spine surgeon will recommend some stretching exercises which are good for your low back and can help you feel better. Your surgeon will ask you to avoid jerking, swimming or twisting during the stretch and try to hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

e) Acupuncture: Your spine surgeon will also recommend you to go for acupuncture as this is a therapy where the practitioner inserts hair-thin needles into your skin at specific points on your body. According to the study, it has been suggested that acupuncture can help back pain, while others have found no benefit. If you wish to try acupuncture then choose a licensed practitioner to ensure that he or she has had extensive training so that you will better.

f) Chiropractic: Chiropractors is a therapy which is used to treat the restricted spinal mobility and the main aim of this therapy is to restore your spinal movement and, as a result, it has improved the function of your spine and decrease pain. Spinal manipulation appears to be as effective and safe as standard treatments for low back pain, but it might not be appropriate for radiating pain.

g) Yoga: Yoga is the great you which help to increase your flexibility and strengthen your spine muscles. Yoga will also help you to move better and you will feel less tired or stiff. When it has done in the right way it builds core strength of your spine.

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