Sciatica And The Sciatic Nerve
Do you have Sciatica?
Sciatica is a pain in the leg due to irritation of the sciatic nerve. The pain generally goes from the back of the thigh to the back of the calf, and may also extend upward to the hip and down to the foot. In addition to pain, there may be numbness and difficulty moving or controlling the leg. Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side.
Although sciatica is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain, the true meaning of the term is often misunderstood. Sciatica is a set of symptoms rather than a diagnosis for what is irritating the nerve root and causing the pain. This is an important point because treatment for sciatica or sciatica-type symptoms will often be different depending on the underlying cause of the symptoms....
One major cause of sciatica is a disc herniation which has placed pressure on the sciatic nerve. The discs are composed of a spongy-type cartilage material with a liquid filled center. The discs separate the vertebrae and thereby allow room for the sciatic nerve to properly exit through the sacral portion of the pelvis into the leg. The discs will cushion the spine from compressive forces, but have weakness with regards to the pressure applied during rotational movements.
That is why a person who bends over to one side at a bad angle to pick up a piece of paper may be more likely to herniate the disc than a person falling off a ladder and landing on their back. Compression of the sciatic nerve from a disc herniation occurs when the center of the disc bulges outward, tearing the outside ring of fibers and ballooning itself onto the root and thus causing sciatica. Please go here to read more about Sciatica. More on Sciatica
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