What is sciatica?

Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, branching from your lower back through your hips and buttocks down to each leg.

Causes:

Sciatica most commonly occur due to herniated disk, nerve entrapment, traumatic injuries like proximal hamstring injuries, edema / inflammation and hematoma formed around the affected tendon.

Late stage of pregnancy can cause compression of the nerve due to increased blood volume in the spine. Gynaecological pathologies like Ectopic endometriosis and ovarian cysts may result in sciatica.

Rare causes of Sciatica:

Osteochondroma can affect the lumbar spine and the femoral neck, resulting in sciatic nerve compression.

Symptoms:

• Pain varying widely from a mild ache to a sharp, burning or electric shock-like sensation.
• Pain, which mostly radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down to the back of your leg. At a later stage, it can result in reduced muscle strength, reflexes and sensation in the nerve root.
• The pain getting worsened by certain movements like coughing or sneezing (these movements increase the intraabdominal pressure).
• Numbness, tingling or muscle weakness.

Also Read: Orthopaedic Surgery + Physiotherapy = Better Rehabilitation

Sciatica can it worsen? Yes!

Sitting, bending, prolonged standing or rising from a sitting position can aggravate or increase the pain.

Comfortable sleeping position of sciatica

Lie flat with knees bent and place pillows under it

How do you Prevent sciatica?

• Exercise regularly: core muscles strengthening and spine extension exercise
• Maintain proper posture when you sit and stand.
• Avoid lifting and twisting simultaneously.

How to prevent RE-INJURY:

• Proper retraining of functional movements like lifting, carrying, bending activities and squatting.
• Correct movement patterns and body alignments are incorporated to reduce pain and prevent re-injury.

If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above, consulting one of the best pain management rehab in Chennai can be a great relief. At Hamsa Rehab, our team of experienced therapists and doctors can offer you the help you need. All you need to do is to get in touch with us at +91 63791 33621 for fixing an appointment.