Sciatic nerve hurts - what to do? Principles of treatment of sciatica will be discussed in detail below. You will also learn about why this disease occurs and what its symptoms are.
Basic information
Pinch of the sciatic nerve, whose symptomsit is difficult not to notice, and also the lumbar radiculitis, accompanied by the pinching of the roots of the sacral region, is one and the same disease. The pain syndrome with it is localized in the thigh, 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, lumbalgia or lumboischialgia.
It can not be said that synonymous with thispathological 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 up in the leg.
In the absence of proper treatment, pain syndrome with this disease is weak and unbearable. In the latter case, the sick person can neither sleep nor be awake normally.
Main reasons
Почему возникает ущемление седалищного нерва (symptoms of this condition will be presented below)? Modern medicine claims that such a disease may be due to mechanical (for example, vertebral hernia, displacement of the vertebrae or osteochondrosis) or temperature (for example, severe hypothermia) factors.
It should also be noted that in some cases this pathological phenomenon arises due to a tumor, Reiter's syndrome, infection, etc.
In addition to these diseases, pain in the buttock, extending to the leg, may be associated with the development of the following pathologies:
- Sciatica accompanied by compression of nerve fibers with hematoma or post-injection abscesses.
- Sciatica accompanied by tunnel neuropathies (including with pear-shaped muscle syndrome).
- Neuropathy associated with metabolic disorders (including alcoholism, diabetes, etc.).
- Trauma to the sciatic nerve due to improper injection, fractures of the hip bones and pelvis.
- Sciatica, which developed against the background of neuropathy under the influence of certain toxic substances.
Before you tell you how to curesciatic nerve should be told that most people suffer from this disease adults. Much less common sciatica develops at the age of 20-26 years. In addition, this disease may occur in the last months of pregnancy due to the fact that the load on the spinal column of the expectant mother increases significantly.
Other causes
Why ischialgia occurs (the symptoms and treatment of this disease will be presented later)? The causes of this disease are many. The most common factors are the following:
- regular weight lifting;
- making sharp movements;
- intense exercise on the background of the usual fixed lifestyle;
- supercooling;
- strong emotional shocks or stressful states.
Location
Where does the sciatic nerve hurt?What is its location? Experts say that these are the two longest and largest nerves in the human body. They pass on either side of the waist to the fingers of the lower limbs.
As a rule, during inflammation of this nerve, the patient begins to be disturbed by pain only in one of them, being located behind the thigh, in the gluteus muscle, and also behind the knee along the calf, right up to the foot.
Main symptoms
How is sciatica manifested?The symptoms and treatment of this disease are little known. When neuritis pain can be burning, stabbing, sharp and cutting. They can suddenly appear and disappear just as suddenly. In more severe cases, inflammation is chronic.
Usually such attacks occur after physical or emotional overstrain. They may also bother after hypothermia.
Along the course of the nerve, the skin sensitivity may be disturbed and tingling, numbness, goosebumps, etc. may appear.
Other signs
The pain in the buttock, extending to the leg, isis the main symptom of the disease. Also, the pain syndrome can extend along the back of the thigh, gradually dropping to the foot and lower leg.
After the attack, the discomfort remains between the 1st sacral and 5th lumbar vertebrae, as well as in the center of the buttock and under the knee.
Due to the strongest pain syndrome a person may lose consciousness. In addition, he may experience autonomic disorders such as increased sweating of the feet, redness of the skin and swelling.
When the sciatic nerve is pinched, pain canintensify with long walking, standing, and also when sitting on a hard surface. To improve his condition, the patient assumes a forced position of the body, in which he relies on a healthy lower limb. Therefore, one of the signs of the disease is gait disturbance.
In case of severe sciatic inflammationsigns are expressed in complete violation or a strong decrease in nerve function. With this disease, the femoral, gluteal or gastrocnemius muscle may even decrease. In this case, the patient has difficulty trying to bend the lower leg, toes, or turn the foot. This is due to the temporary immobilization of muscle tissue on the back of the thigh.
Diagnostics
Sciatic nerve hurts - what to do?To begin with, you should contact a neurologist. Before prescribing treatment, the specialist must find out the cause of the development of pain in the sciatic nerve area. Only after that he can conduct an adequate diagnosis, because sciatica is only a syndrome that can accompany completely different pathological conditions.
The first neurologist conducts inspectionpatient, checking his reflexes on his feet by tapping with a hammer. It also determines the sensitivity of the skin, which allows 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? For diagnosis, the most affordable and simple method is radiography. It is the taken picture that can confirm or exclude serious bone changes.
In the event that such a diagnosis is not enough, a specialist may recommend an MRI or CT scan.
If a tumor is suspected, use is possible.radioisotope scan of the spine. Most often, this procedure is recommended for people who have been taking corticosteroids for a long time, as well as for HIV-infected patients.
Sciatic nerve hurts - what to do?
With the development of such a disease, treatment should be trusted only to a qualified neurologist. Modern medicine provides several ways to treat sciatica. Consider them in more detail.
Physiotherapy
According to experts, this methodtreatment helps to significantly reduce pain, but does not eliminate the true cause of the disease. The doctor may 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 magnetic laser therapy, paraffin applications, electrosurfing of the affected area, and so on.
As practice shows, the effect of physiotherapy significantly improves blood circulation, as well as relieves pain and swelling.
Reflexology and massage
How to cure the sciatic nerve?During the remission of an acute inflammatory process, general and canned massage, cauterization and acupuncture sessions, acupressure are highly effective. It should also be noted that the use of "needles" - Kuznetsov's applicator - helps significantly relieve pain and remove excessive muscle tension.
According to neurologists, absolutely any kind of reflexology and massage can improve lymph flow, reduce pain, restore nerve function and prevent muscle hypotrophy.
Medications
What are the injections for the sciatic nerve,pathologically inflamed? The most effective are non-steroidal anesthetics. They are drugs that can stop the action of the COX enzyme and have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.
So which medications treat the sciatic nerve?Drugs belonging to the mentioned pharmacological group are sold in all pharmacies. As they are usually used "Diclofenac", "Ibuprofen", "Indomethacin", "Ortofen", "Sulindak", "Tsebereks", "Ketorolak" and "Naproxen". All of these funds are irritating to the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and adversely affect the kidneys, as well as reduce blood clotting. Therefore, their use should be limited.
Also in inflammation of the sciatic nerve, the neurologistIt can prescribe vitamins (especially B vitamins), mineral complexes and drugs that improve blood circulation and metabolic processes, as well as relax muscle tissue.
Physiotherapy
With sciatica, even the simplest exercises are very effective. However, they should be performed only after the reduction of the acute process, that is, during periods of remission.
Gymnastics needs to be done slowly and smoothly, without much stress.
Basic recommendations for the regime
In acute sciatica patients shouldcomply with bed rest. It is desirable to use a hard mattress. It is also necessary to limit the motor activity (until the acute inflammation passes). In addition, it is possible to alternately use heating pads and ice, massage in the area of localization of pain and other things.
