The sciatic nerve hurts: what should I do? Causes, symptoms and treatment for sciatica

The sciatic nerve hurts - what should I do? Principles of treatment for sciatica will be discussed in detail below. Also you will learn about why this disease arises and what are its symptoms.

Basic information

Infringement of the sciatic nerve, the symptoms of which are difficult to not notice, as well as lumbar sciatica, accompanied by the jamming of the roots of the sacral region, represent the same disease. The pain syndrome with it is localized in the hip, lumbar region, foot and lower leg. It also increases with walking and coughing.

At the very beginning of the development of the disease, it proceeds according to the type of lumbago, lumbulgia or lumboschialgia.

One can not help saying that synonym for this pathological condition is sciatica. In medical practice, it is also called neuritis, inflammation or pinching of the sciatic nerve. Its main symptom is back pain, which gives in the leg.

In the absence of proper treatment, pain syndrome with such a disease is weak and unbearable. In the latter case, a sick person can neither sleep nor stay awake.

Main reasons

Why there is a pinch of the sciatic nerve (the symptoms of this condition will be presented below)? Modern medicine claims that such a disease can be associated with mechanical (for example, vertebral hernia, displacement of the vertebrae or osteochondrosis) or temperature (for example, severe supercooling) factors.

It should also be noted that in some cases this pathological phenomenon occurs due to a tumor, Reiter's syndrome, infection, etc.

In addition to these diseases, pain in the buttocks, giving up in the leg, can be associated with the development of the following pathologies:

• Ischialgia, accompanied by compression of nerve fibers with hematoma or post-injection abscesses.
• Ischialgia, accompanied by tunneling neuropathies (including piriform muscle syndrome ).
• Neuropathy associated with metabolic disorders (including alcoholism, diabetes, etc.).
• Injury of the sciatic nerve, which is due to improper injection, fractures of the hip bone and pelvis.
• Ishialgia, which developed against a background of neuropathy under the influence of some toxic substances.

Before telling you how to cure the sciatic nerve, you should tell us that most often adults suffer from such disease. Much less often sciatica develops at the age of 20-26 years. In addition, this disease can occur in the last months of pregnancy, because the load on the vertebral column of the future parturient increases significantly.

Other causes

Why does sciatica arise (the symptoms and treatment of this disease will be presented later)? There are many reasons for the development of this disease. The most common factors are the following:

• Regular lifting of weights;
• Making sharp movements;
• Intense physical activity against the background of the usual fixed way of life;
• Supercooling;
• Severe emotional shocks or stressful conditions.

Location

Where does the sciatic nerve? What is its location? Experts say that these are the two longest and largest nerve in the human body. They pass on both sides of the waist to the fingers of the lower limbs.

As a rule, with the inflammation of this nerve, the patient begins to worry about pain in only one of them, localizing behind the hip, in the gluteus muscle, and also at the back of the knee along the calf, to the very foot.

Main symptoms

How is ischialgia manifested? Symptoms and treatment of this disease are known to few. With neuritis, pain can be stinging, stitching, sharp and cutting. They can suddenly emerge and just as suddenly disappear. In more severe cases, inflammation is chronic.

Usually, such attacks occur after physical or emotional overstrain. They can also disturb after hypothermia.

In the course of the nerve with this disease, the sensitivity of the skin can be disturbed and tingling, numbness, creeps, and the like may appear.

Other signs

Pain in the butt, giving in the leg, is the main sign of the disease under consideration. Also, the pain syndrome can extend along the back of the thigh, gradually sinking to the foot and shin.

After an attack, unpleasant sensations remain between the 1st sacral and 5th lumbar vertebrae, as well as in the center of the buttock and under the knee.

Because of the strongest pain syndrome, a person can lose consciousness. In addition, he may experience such vegetative disorders as excessive sweating of the feet, redness of the skin and swelling.

When the sciatic nerve is squeezed, pain can increase with prolonged walking, standing, and sitting on a hard surface. To improve his condition, the patient takes a forced position of the body, which rests on a healthy lower limb. Therefore, one of the signs of the disease in question is a violation of the gait.

In the case of severe inflammation of the sciatic fiber, signs are expressed in complete violation or a strong decrease in nerve function. With such a disease, the femoral, gluteal or calf muscles may even decrease. In this case, the patient experiences difficulties when trying to bend the shin, toes, or to turn the foot. This is due to the temporary immobilization of muscle tissue on the back of the thigh.

Diagnostics

The sciatic nerve hurts - what should I do? To begin with it is necessary to address to the neurologist. Before appointing treatment, the specialist must find out the cause of the development of pain syndrome in the region of the sciatic nerve. Only after that, he can conduct an adequate diagnosis, because sciatica is only a syndrome that can accompany completely different pathological conditions.

First of all, the neurologist examines the patient, checking his reflexes on the legs by tapping with a hammer. It also determines the sensitivity on the skin, which allows you to assess the degree of damage to the NA.

So what if the sciatic nerve hurts? What to do in such a pathological condition to identify the cause of its development? To diagnose the most accessible and simple method is radiography. It is the picture taken that can confirm or exclude serious bone changes.

In the event that such a diagnosis is not enough, a specialist can recommend an MRI or CT scan.

If a tumor is suspected, it is possible to use a radioisotope scan of the spinal column. Most often, this procedure is recommended for people who have taken corticosteroid drugs for a long time, as well as for HIV-infected patients.

The sciatic nerve hurts - what should I do?

When developing such a disease, treatment should be trusted only by a qualified neurologist. Modern medicine provides several ways of treating sciatica. Let us consider them in more detail.

Physiotherapy

According to experts, this method of treatment helps to significantly reduce pain, but does not eliminate the true cause of the disease. The doctor can prescribe to his patient such procedures as electrophoresis with vitamins, antispasmodics, anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants, as well as phonophoresis, UHF therapy, laser or magnetolaser therapy, paraffin applications, electrosleep, UV of the affected area and so on.

As practice shows, the action of physiotherapy significantly improves blood circulation, and also relieves pain and swelling.

Reflexotherapy and massage

How to cure the sciatic nerve? During the cessation of acute inflammatory process, general and canned massage, sessions of cauterization and acupuncture, acupressure are highly effective. It should also be noted that the use of "needles" - an applicator Kuznetsova - helps greatly alleviate the pain and remove unnecessary strain of muscle tissue.

According to neurologists, absolutely any kind of reflexology and massage can improve lymph flow, reduce pain, restore the work of the nerve and prevent muscle hypotrophy.

Medications

What are the prescribed nyxes with sciatic nerve, pathologically inflamed? The most effective are non-steroid painkillers. They are drugs that can stop the action of the enzyme COX and have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.

So what medications are the sciatic nerve treated? Preparations related to the said pharmacological group are sold in all pharmacies. They are usually used as "Diclofenac", "Ibuprofen", "Indomethacin", "Orthofen", "Sulindac", "Cereberex", "Ketorolac" and "Naproxen". All of these remedies have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive tract and have a negative effect on the kidneys, and also reduce blood clotting. In this regard, their use should be limited.

Also, with an inflammation of the sciatic nerve, a neurologist can prescribe vitamins (especially B vitamins), mineral complexes and medicines that improve blood circulation and metabolic processes, and also relax muscle tissue.

Physiotherapy

With sciatica, even the simplest exercises are very effective. However, they should be performed only after the acute process has subsided, that is, during periods of remission.

Gymnastics must be done slowly and smoothly, without much stress.

The main recommendations on the regime

In the acute course of sciatica, the patient should be kept bed rest. It is advisable to use a hard mattress. Also it is necessary to limit the motor activity (until the acute inflammation passes). In addition, it is possible to alternately apply warmers and ice, massage in the area of pain localization and other things.