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Posts Tagged ‘Sciatica Pain’

Sciatica or sciatic nerve pain can be the most distressing of conditions to suffer with. With its various potential causes as well, knowing the correct treatment can also be a great dilemma.

One potential cause of sciatica is tight muscles, and in particular tight Piriformis or Hamstring muscles.

These muscles are a potential source of sciatic pain due to their position relative to the sciatic nerve as it passes through the buttock & down the leg.

The sciatic nerve itself is formed from 5 nerve roots which leave the spine in the lower back region. As these nerve roots leave the spine, they come together to form the sciatic nerve.

This nerve then passes through the buttock region, which is where the Piriformis muscle is situated. Consequently, as the sciatic nerve passes through the buttock area, it also passes straight through, or underneath (it varies from person to person) the Piriformis muscle.

As the sciatic nerve then continues on its journey down the back of the leg, it also encounters the hamstring muscles, which are situated at the back of the thigh. Once again, the sciatic nerve passes through the hamstrings on its way.

Therefore, if either of these muscles are tight, they place increased stress across the sciatic nerve. This can be quite literally due to a squeezing effect on the nerve, or also due to the tightness not allowing the sciatic nerve to move as freely as it should be able to. Either way, the tightness places increased stress across the nerve, potentially resulting in pain.

In order for the body to be able to heal the sciatic nerve from the increased stress and the subsequent pain which has resulted, a suitable exercise programme needs to be embarked upon.

It is easier to show these exercises with the use of diagrams, therefore I have placed a link at the bottom of this article which will show you the best way to stretch these muscles.

Tightness in muscles can also be associated with weakness of other muscle groups. This is referred to as ‘Muscle Imbalance’ and is one of the main causes of sciatica.

Especially if you feel that your sciatica is beginning in your buttock region, as opposed to your lower back, their is a fair chance it is muscle imbalance which is the cause of your pain.

Following on from this, if your pain begins in the buttock area, there is a good chance it is specifically a tight Piriformis muscle which is responsible for the sciatica you are suffering. If this is the case, introducing a Piriformis stretch should assist with resolving your pain.

In summary, tight muscles can, without doubt, be a cause of sciatica. In such circumstances, an appropriate stretching exercise programme will clearly be needed. This in turn will reduce the stress being placed across the sciatic nerve and therefore assist the body in healing yourself from the pain you are suffering.

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The term Sciatica is the word commonly used to refer to pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the leg caused by compression or an injury to the sciatic nerve, located in the back of the leg. People who suffer from severe Sciatica definitely know the meaning of the word “pain”.

Sciatica pain can vary widely, ranging from a mild tingling or burning sensation to severe discomfort resulting in the inability to move. Some of the causes of Sciatica include pelvic injuries, degenerative discs, slipped discs, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or even pregnancy.

Pain from Sciatica often starts out slowly and gets worse after standing or sitting for long periods of time. For most people, the pain is on one side or the other and can extend from the hip to the sole of the foot. The affected leg may also feel weak.

Treatment options for Sciatica can range from mild physical therapy exercises to injections around the nerve. Steroids are also commonly used to treat nerve inflammation related to herniated discs (usually only providing temporary relief).

Millions of people suffer from Sciatica in one degree or another, and many of them spend thousands upon thousands of dollars each year on treatments that do not even offer permanent relief, such as steroid injections. Even though there are all natural solutions available for Sciatica that do not require the use of synthetic drugs or surgery.

People with this condition should continue to stay active, as becoming more and more sendentary will only make the back pain worse. Gentle stretching exercises such as yoga could be of great benefit. In addition, hanging upside down on an inversion table can do wonders to help stretch out the spine and reverse gravity. Just remember, having sciatica does not mean that surgery and streroids are inevitable. There are always natural steps you can take to ease the condition.

Sciatica is known as a nightmarish back and leg pain syndrome which often resists even the most seemingly appropriate treatment modalities. The sciatic nerve is the largest and most important single nerve in the entire body, being directly responsible for serving the neurological needs of the lower anatomy. Sciatic nerve syndrome is defined as any condition which affects the function of this crucial nerve structure or any of its peripheral branches, eliciting pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in the lower extremities.

The vast majority of sciatica conditions are diagnosed as stemming from a spinal source in the lumbar region. There are many conditions which may cause sciatic nerve symptoms including: herniated discs, advanced degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, arthritic processes leading to osteophyte development, foraminal stenosis, vertebral slippage (spondylolisthesis) and extreme spinal curvature (scoliosis or hyperlordosis).

While it is possible that each of these anatomical abnormalities may cause sciatica in some instances, these structural conditions are far more often mistakenly blamed for enacting symptoms, when in fact, they are merely coincidental to the pain. For example, blaming the universal and completely normal occurrence of degenerative disc disease for sciatic nerve pain is akin to blaming headaches on male pattern baldness… There is simply little evidence that most of these conditions cause any health concerns in the majority of diagnosed patients. Some unfortunate individuals certainly do suffer from physically induced pain due to structural anomalies of the spinal column. However, most sciatica patients are misdiagnosed when their pain is blamed on innocent, normal and completely expected facets of spinal aging. Remember… Spinal arthritis, stenosis and intervertebral disc conditions are all typical side effects of getting older.

Besides spinal causations, medical science also common blames three predominant non-spinal sources for symptomatic occurrences. When sciatic nerve pain exists due to a non-spinal concern, it is often termed “pseudo-sciatica”. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction or sacroiliitis is often diagnosed when leg symptoms are far more prevalent than actual back pain. Piriformis syndrome is another common scapegoat for symptoms relating to nerve constriction by the powerful piriformis muscle deep in the pelvis. Finally, non-specific muscular impairments of the sciatic nerve are sometimes blamed for creating variable pain in the lower limbs. All three of these diagnoses are on shaky grounds in most instances, but are made in growing frequency throughout the back pain industry. As with many other suspected causes of back and leg pain, many of these conditions are difficult to pin down as the conclusive source of pain, but are virtually impossible to discount as the causation…

The most common source of ongoing sciatic nerve crises involves one of the most simple of all problematic health concerns. Ironically, despite the obvious nature of this condition and its symptomology, and despite an ever growing base of supportive research, this condition is rarely diagnosed as the wellspring of discomfort. This process is known as ischemia and is also sometimes called an oxygen deprivation pain syndrome. Every anatomical structure requires oxygen in order to exist and function properly. Nerve tissue is the most susceptible to even the tiniest levels of reduced oxygenation. It is no surprise that ischemia can have such dire and immediate effects on the sciatic nerve, since the nerve reacts violently the moment the oxygen supply is reduced. The autonomic system regulates oxygen supply throughout the body using the circulatory system. Small degrees of arterial constriction will reduce cellular oxygenation, while small degrees of arterial dilation will increase blood oxygen content. This is a stealthy and virtually invisible process which leaves no evidence of its occurrence, except for trace elements in the nuclei of affected cells.

Ischemia is indeed the most logical explanation for non-responsive and long lasting cases of sciatica. It is also the root cause of a number of poorly managed health concerns, including fibromyalgia, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraine and tension headaches and a tremendous assortment of gastrointestinal concerns. Ischemia is an even greater problem than it first appears to be, since it is most commonly driven by a psychosomatic symptom imperative. Given the Cartesian philosophy embraced by the modern medical establishment, it is no surprise that the overwhelming evidence supporting ischemic pain is systematically swept under the rug. After all, ischemia is easily treated and the cure is free for patients to enact using the basic principles of knowledge therapy. Remember too that the economic bottom line in the medical professions is the most basic directive as to effective treatment for any health condition. If a therapy goes against the idea of making money, it is typically arbitrarily ignored…

In summary, it is wise to consider the idea that your sciatica might actually be the direct result of ischemia of the nerve and muscle structures, rather than the end product of a spinal abnormality. The clues to an ischemic condition include variable types and severities of pain and often changing symptomatic locations. If your pain has not responded well to appropriate treatment, investigate knowledge therapy for an alternate curative option.