Sciatica Nerve Problems

Sciatica derives its name from the sciatic nerve, which is located along a path from your spine, to your hip area and going down the back of each of your legs. Sciatica is a symptom of pain that is caused by another condition and it is localized along the sciatic nerve path. The first step in treating your sciatica is to determine the cause of the pain. Sciatica can be caused by many different conditions.

Causes

• Common causes of sciatica nerve pain include trauma, such as a car crash, an injury or a tumor that affects the sciatic nerve, a spinal tumor that compresses the nerve roots and a lumbar herniated disk. Other causes include spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis (which results from a disc fracture causing vertebra slippage) and piriformis syndrome, in which the piriformis muscle pinches the nerve roots. Sometimes, the exact cause of your sciatica may be difficult or impossible to determine.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of sciatica can range from mild to severe. You may experience pain in an area from your lower back down to your buttocks and your legs. You may also experience muscle weakness or numbness in your leg. You could even have pain in one part of your leg, with numbness in another. You may also have a "pins and needles" feeling, usually in your foot or toes. If you experience bladder or bowel incontinence, see your doctor immediately, as you may have a serious condition called cauda equine syndrome.

Diagnosis

• The first step in diagnosing sciatica is to give your doctor a complete medical history and undergo a thorough physical exam. Your doctor may ask you to perform simple exercises to check your pain responses and reflexes, such as walking on your toes. If your sciatic pain is severe and long-lasting, as well as if you have another medical condition such as cancer, your doctor will also run some imaging tests. Possible tests include a spinal X-ray, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and a CT scan, or computerized tomography scan.

Treatment - Non-surgical

• In many sciatica cases, the condition goes away on its own without requiring any treatment. However, there are some non-invasive techniques to manage the condition. These include prescription pain medications and epidural steroid injections (corticosteroids). You could also try massage therapy, acupuncture, heat and ice therapy, and spinal adjustments. Your doctor may also suggest physical therapy.

Treatment - Surgical

• For severe cases of sciatica, discuss surgical options with your doctor. You may want to consider a lumbar laminectomy with diskectomy. This surgery is intended for sciatica caused by a herniated disk. The surgeon will remove the part of the disk that is compressing the sciatic nerve.