Sciatica is one of the most difficult conditions for medical practitioners, even those experienced in treating back pain and sciatica patients, to identify and treat. Sciatica often presents itself as a tingling and/or numbness, not unlike the feeling one may experience with a pulled hamstring muscle, the biceps femoris at the back of the leg. The sensation may be dull, almost an ache, with periods of tingling and/or numbness occurring during certain activities. The tingling and/or numbness experienced, if not treated, may develop into a full-blown chronically acute phase with pain shooting across the buttocks and radiating down the leg.

Sciatica refers to the pain that occurs when the sciatica nerve becomes injured or inflamed. Sciatica can occur anywhere along the route of the sciatica nerve, but is most commonly felt in the back of the thighs and in the calves. Causes of sciatica can vary widely. Sciatica can be a result of direct trauma to the sciatica nerve as in an accident or it can be caused by something as common as a muscle spasm that puts pressure on the nerve.

Causes:

While there are several possible causes of sciatica, by far the most common source of sciatic nerve irritation is a bulging or herniated disc in the lower lumbar spine. A damaged disc may bulge into the opening where one of the nerve roots exits the spine on it's way to join other nerve roots as part of the sciatic nerve. The bulging disc may create direct nerve pressure, and/or may trigger inflammation and swelling, which can also cause pressure on the nerve.

When it comes to the different causes of sciatica, there are many basic leading causes of sciatica. When it comes to the leading causes of sciatica, it is because of them being back problems. One of the main causes of sciatica is a herniated disc (which is when the nucleus breaks through the annulus) or lumbar bulging (which is when the nucleus is contained to only the outer wall of the annulus). Another one of the causes of sciatica is lumbar spinal stenosis; which is when the nerves are compressed. Another reason why some people get sciatica is because of some sort of trauma to the nervous system.

One common condition that closely mimics sciatica is caused by knots of contraction called trigger points in a muscle called the piriformis. The piriformis muscles are located on either side of the lower buttock area, running from the upper thigh bone to the edge of the sacrum (the triangular pelvic bone that is at the base of the spine).

Treatment:

There are exercises and stretches sciatica sufferers can do to ease and in many cases eliminate the pain completely, but if the pain is ongoing and acute, a medical practitioner should be consulted. In the next article we will discuss degenerative disc disease and how it may express itself as sciatica; and, how it may be avoided. Ultimately, regardless of the etiology or cause of the pain (e.g., degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, etc.) sciatic nerve pain may be a signal of a serious condition.

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