Sciatica
Sciatica is nerve pain resulting from irritation of the sciatic nerve. The pain of sciatica is typically felt from the low back to behind the thigh and radiating down below the knee. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and begins from nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord in the low back and extends through the buttock area to send nerve endings down the lower limb. Sciatica is different from other forms of low back pain because there are 2 sciatic nerves, and the pain is usually on 1 side.
Causes:
- Irritation of the nerve from adjacent bone
- Tumors
- Internal bleeding
- Piriformis syndrome (a pain disorder involving the narrow piriformis muscle in the buttocks)
- Slipped disk
- Degenerative disk disease
- Spinal stenosis
- Pelvic injury or fracture.
Symptoms:
- Pain
- A burning sensation
- Numbness
- Tingling radiating from the lower back and upper buttock down the back of the thigh to the back of the leg
- Walking difficult
- Discomfort
- Muscular weakness.
Physiotherapy Treatment:
- Stretching exercises
- Massage therapy
- Ultrasound
- Apply heat or ice to the painful area. Try ice for the first 48 – 72 hours, then use heat after that
- Specific back exercises, known as core strength and stability exercises
- Manual therapy in the form of spinal manipulation
- Stretching and strength-building exercises
- Back braces.