When seeking help for sciatica it's best to know exactly what the underlying cause of the sciatica is stemming from before proceeding with any treatment program. If the immediate cause is not readily apparent such as from an injury, then usually an extensive physical examination may be necessary. This insures that you are getting the proper treatment regimen for your your particular situation.
This examination can involve the use of neurological tests, structural tests and orthopedic tests. These tests will help to isolate and centralize the cause of the pain. If these tests are not sufficient to localize the pain than further testing involving the use of MRIs, CRTs, ultrasound, and X-Rays may be warranted to home in on the exact cause of the problem. The MRIs and CRTs are especially invaluable for this purpose as they take slice by slice views of the area to find the cause among the collection of bones, joints, muscles and nerves.
Once the cause is identified, a program of treatment can begin. The causes can be numerous. They range from herniated and bulging discs where an intervertebral spinal disc gets compressed and is dislocated from its position in the spinal column, to arthritis where a narrowing of the spinal canal puts pressure on the spinal cord, to spinal stenosis where the opening in some of the vertebrae begins to close off again bringing pressure to bear on the spinal cord. Other problems include but are not limited to scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine; degenerative disc disease, compressed and flattened vertebrae place pressure on the nerve endings and fibromyalgia, tenderness and pain in areas of the lower back.
Your doctor can best advise you about which conditions respond best to which treatments. For some of the more serious ones the only answer may be surgery, but for most of the others, treatments available can range from an exercise program to chiropractic adjustments to yoga to therapeutic massage to magnetic therapy.
Some cases of sciatic pain fortunately may only be temporary such as with pregnancy where abnormal amounts of pressure are brought to bear on the lower back muscles. For others there may be complications. Herniated discs, where the bulging disc ruptures causing pain to travel down the legs. In serious cases there may also be muscle weakness, where the compressed nerves are cut off and not able to send messages to the brain. A symptom of this will be bladder or bowel inconvenience problems. This is more commonly known as cauda equina syndrome.
Cauda equina syndrome can in addition to bladder and bowel leakage problems involve a gradual weakness in the legs, loss of sensation in the pelvic area, continuous low back pain, abdominal pain, chills, fever and weight loss. These symptoms are caused by the pinching of the nerves at the tail of the spinal cord. You need to seek medical help if you suspect this is the cause. Most times it can be helped with anti-inflammatory drugs and exercise to relieve the swelling. Surgery is also an option where the offending disc is removed or even by fusing the vertebrae.
Alex Ralbeck is a sciatica relief expert. For great information on help for sciatica, visit my website at http://www.stretchingforsciaticatips.com for helpful tips and information on relieving your back and leg pain.
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