Sciatic nerve
Sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in human body. It is also known as the ischiadic nerve. It starts off in the lower back and goes down along each leg. Its nerve roots start from the spine in the lower part of your back.
Sciatica
Sciatica is not a disease or infection, but a specific medical condition. We give you some of the most common symptoms of sciatica:
- Back and leg pain, oftentimes in just one leg
- Increased pain when sitting
- Burning sensation down the limb
- Numbness in legs
- Being unable to move the leg
- Being unable to stand or walk for long
Root causes of sciatica
1. Ruptured disc
It is commonly known as slipped disc or pinched nerve.
Degenerative disc – a particular motion at the spinal level exposes proteins in the disc. Eventually, they affect the tissues around them.
2. Isthmic spondylolisthesis
The bone that connects joints at the back side of the spine is marked with a small fracture. This is why one of the vertebral bodies slip onto the vertebrae underneath.
3. Lumbar spinal stenosis
It is characterized with a narrowing in the spinal canal
4. Piriformis syndrome
The piriformis muscle pinches one of the nerve roots.
5. Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
It is an irritation of the sacroiliac joint.
6. Pregnancy
The center of gravity changes in pregnant women, as their weight goes up and hormones go wild. Such pregnancy changes may cause sciatica.
7. Scar tissue
Certain scar tissue compresses a nerve root.
8. Muscle strain
Muscle strains are accompanied with inflammation that pressure a particular nerve root.
9. Spinal tumor
Nerve roots are sometimes affected by tumors.
Sciatica treatment
Bed rest is the best way to relieve sciatica symptoms. Physical therapies, anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers, muscle relaxation and massaging can be of great assistance when it comes to treating sciatica.
There are some great stretching exercises that will help you a great deal. Unfortunately, in some cases sciatica cannot be cured with alternative treatments, and doctors recommend undergoing a surgery that is supposed to relieve any compression of the affected nerve.
In the video below you can learn more about the effect of yoga in sciatica treatments:
Source: choosehealthylife
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