Sciatia: Its Causes and Treatments

ByRalph Bronson

Until the 1930s, doctors had many theories about what causes sciatica, a sharp, aching, and/or burning pain that affects the lower back, the buttocks, and/or the legs, but they were far from certain. At that time, though, they discovered that a great deal of sciatica pain came from the herniation, bulging, or rupturing of one or more of the cushioning discs that float between the vertebrae in the spinal column.

After about the age of twenty, these discs begin to be affected by everyday wear-and-tear, the exact amount depending on the amount of pressure and movement of the spine. It's most frequently seen in patients from thirty to fifty years of age, and the type of work a person does is a big factor. For example, repeated lifting can cause herniation followed by sciatica, and prolonged periods of sitting, such as at a computer or truck and automobile driving, can also play a role. In addition, some discs are more prone to herniate than others. The lumbar vertebrae (the lowest five) and the cervical vertebrae (those in your neck) are the most frequent culprits. Sciatica occurs when the herniated disc between the L-4 and L-5 discs presses against the sciatic nerve. This is more likely to cause a problem when the nerve is squashed between the offending disc and an adjacent bone.

When your body works right, the discs lose and then absorb a little bit of water and nutrients from the blood. Often after a person is thirty, this balanced function doesn't work as efficiently, and soon the discs are losing more water than they absorb. They dry out, and the thickness of the disc begins to shrink. This shrinking and drying out can cause the outer core to rupture, and some of the soft inner core can leak out. As we've seen before, this protrusion often presses against the sciatic nerve root, and pain can follow, although sometimes patients remain asymptomatic.

Muscle spasms from an injury or a fall can also irritate the sciatic nerve. The piranius muscle in your buttocks can become inflamed and press against the sciatic nerve and cause pain. Sciatic pain can also be caused by infections, injuries, tumors, arthritis, and ankylosing spondyltis. This is a severe inflammation of the spinal joints which then stiffen and cause agonizing pain.

How is Sciatica Treated?

If your healthcare provider is a traditional, Western medicine doctor, he will probably recommend one of a variety of conventional treatments. Medication is one of the primary treatments prescribed. The first choice is over-the-counter remedies, NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen, which can help reduce the pain and start to repair tissue at the same time. All of these are generally considered safe for temporary use in healthy adults.

Muscle relaxants, such as Valium

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A Look At Herniated Disk Treatments

ByJ. Hughes

Often the result of wear on the vertebrae, a herniated disk can be painful and limiting. The disk is the fluid-filled sac that cushions the bones in the spine. When this little sac ruptures or slips out-of-place, it bumps into nearby nerves. This unaccustomed contact causes pain, discomfort or numbness. A common ailment with increasing age, herniated disks present symptoms of varied intensity. The degree of pain or inconvenience for the sufferer determines the course of herniated disk treatment.

At-Home Remedies. After the diagnosis, the doctor will likely suggest some low-impact treatments. These include over the-counter drugs as well as simple behavioral advice. Most people suffering from a herniated disk respond to this level of treatment.

Non-Prescription Pain Relievers

Naproxen, acetaminophen and ibuprofen each reduce inflammation and pain. Though these drugs are available over-the-counter, they are potent, and taking more than the recommended dose can harm health. A doctor can help with advice about the right kind of non-prescription pain reliever to take.

Cold and Heat

Applying a cold pack to the painful part of the back contracts inflamed muscle and relieves pain. This treatment helps a great deal when the disk has recently ruptured and swelling is at its greatest. A heating pad or warm pack helps with residual pain.

Continued Physical Activity

Though pain or weakness seem like good reasons to rest the back, excessive bedrest worsens the symptoms of a herniated disk. Moving around too little allows muscles to grow weaker and prevents the body from healing. Periods of rest interspersed with periods of normal activity throughout the day keep the back muscles in shape.

Prescription Remedies. If over-the-counter drugs fail to ease herniated disk pain, the doctor will turn to prescription medications.

Prescription Pain Relievers

These can include narcotics, such as hydrocodone or codeine. While they can do away with pain, narcotics are very addictive and induce a mental fogginess that can itself be dangerous.

More narrowly-focused medicines designed to target damaged nerves that create chronic pain may be a better choice, as they have fewer undesirable side effects. Gabapentin and Cymbalta are two drugs that act in different ways to minimize nerve pain. These drugs are less addictive than narcotics.

Muscle Relaxants

If the muscles around the herniated disc experience painful spasms, a muscle relaxant such as Valium may be useful. The drawback to drugs like these is that they do not limit their power to the affected nerve. Instead, they have a generally relaxing effect and will interfere with daily activities.

Steroids

If inflammation is severe, a doctor may also prescribe a steroid. Steroids, such as cortisone, reduce swelling quickly. A cortisone shot directly in the affected area will have an immediate effect on the displaced disk.

Physical Therapy. Physical therapists show herniated-disk sufferers ways to move that do not cause pain. Occupational therapists teach skills that allow patients to return to a productive life.

Surgery. Only rarely do surgeons become involved in treating a herniated disk. Patients unresponsive to more conservative treatments, or those with complex disk injuries, may receive the suggestion of surgery. The surgeon most often removes the overlapping fragment of disc. In some cases, however, replacement with an artificial disk may be necessary.

Aspen Integrative Medicine offers a non surgical alternative to herniated disc treatment. Located in the Aspen Valley region of Colorado, this center focuses on non surgical alternatives to healing. Contact us today to see how your old injuries can be finally healed.

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Natural Treatments for Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a condition whose effects can range from mild irritation to debilitating pain and even paralysis. Learning the symptoms, causes and treatment options may help you avoid drugs and surgery.

Stenosis can occur in either the cervical spine in the neck or the lumbar spine in the lower back. Lumbar stenosis is the more common; according to Spine-Health.com, about three-fourths of all cases occur in the lumbar spine. Stenosis involves the compression of nerve roots that exit the spinal canal. There are three types, named for the location of compression:

1) Formainal: The foramen is the space through which a nerve leaves the spinal canal. This is the most common type of spinal stenosis; it occurs when bone spurs, which develop along a vertebra due to disc degeneration, compress the nerve. Discs act as shock absorbers. As they degenerate, bone friction causes tiny shards of bone to develop.

2) Far Lateral: This type of stenosis occurs beyond the foramen. Compression can be caused by a bulging or herniated disc, or by a bone spur.

3) Central: This involves obstruction of the nerves within the spinal canal. It is generally caused by a bulging disc and ligament overgrowth within the spine.

Cervical stenosis is generally considered a more dangerous condition than when it occurs in the lumbar spine. This is because the spinal cord, that dense bundle of nerves, is present in the upper spine but ends in the upper part of the lower back. From there, the nerves fan out into a horse's tail pattern, hence acquiring the name "cauda equina." There is more risk of paralysis associated with impingement of the spinal cord. That said, lumbar stenosis can, in rare cases, involve severe nerve damage that leads to bladder and bowel loss of control, sexual dysfunction and inability to walk.

Bone spurs formed due to facet joint arthritis may also impinge nerves, causing stenosis.

Symptoms

Spinal stenosis often causes localized back or neck pain and refers pain to either the legs or the arms. There may also be tingling, weakness and numbness along the affected nerve's pathway. People with lumbar stenosis often have sciatica.

One way to tell if stenosis is causing your pain is to monitor when symptoms reside. People with this condition experience relief when sitting and leaning forward, as these positions create more space in the spinal canal and take pressure off nerves. Imaging tests such as MRIs, CTs and dye injection may be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Natural Treatments

Light, guided exercise is often prescribed to strengthen the muscles that support the spine and to maintain cardiovascular health, which ensures proper blood flow to areas of the spine. Exercises for lumbar stenosis usually involve forward bending. Examples of such exercises can be seen at http://spinalstenosis.org/blog/sciatica-exercises/. Cervical stenosis patients may perform isometric exercises which strengthen neck muscles without stressing joints. Exercise helps support the spine and manage pain. A physical therapist should guide you through what exercises are safe for you.

Chiropractic care can help your symptoms if a misaligned spine is aggravating your condition. Restoring alignment will take pressure off of discs and nerves.
Chiropractors can also perform decompression treatments, which increase disc space and can resolve stenosis caused by herniated or bulging discs.

Acupuncture and acupressure are alternative treatments that have had immense success in relieving pain of many types. They both involve the application of stimulus, either needle points or touch, to energy meridians, which some in Western culture equate with nerve bundles. It is worth a try for anyone looking to avoid reliance on pain medication.

Surgery is only recommended for people with severe stenosis that poses a threat to the spinal cord or the patient's ability to walk or control bladder and bowels.

Knowing the cause of your pain equips you to make smart choices about your treatment options. If you have back or neck pain that radiates and is relieved by sitting and leaning forward, you may have spinal stenosis. Share this information with your doctor and improve your chances of pain relief.

Education in back pain is the cheapest form of self preservation. Learn about what causes back pain and 4 other things that cause sciatic nerve pain.

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Some Home Treatments For Sciatica Nerve Pain

The pains that come from pressure placed upon the sciatic nerve from either muscle or joint inflammation or a vertebral disc that is out of position can be mild or intense. The pain can be centered in the lower back or it can radiate into the buttocks and down the legs. When seeking treatment for sciatica nerve pain there are several options you can try.

Surgery should probably be considered as your last option when all else has failed to bring relief. What we need to achieve is to reduce inflammation in the affected area and relax tightened muscle. One treatment method is massage therapy. By a series of massage techniques such as cupping, effluage, rolling and nerve compression among others, the affected muscles are made to relax and improved blood circulation is brought into the area. This helps to reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve and thus the pain is reduced.

Reflexology is another way that pain relief from your sciatica can be sought. With reflexology certain points along the body correlate to the extremities and other organs. The area that helps with lower back and sciatica pain is located on sole of the left foot.

Acupressure and pressure therapy can be used by the direct use of pressure to the affected area. A tennis ball can be used and is rolled around the area using moderate pressure to help relieve the pain. Sometimes it is applied while laying down with the ball under the lower back or the thighs in an effort to bring pain relief.

Using yoga positions to help improve blood circulation is another way to help ease the pain and help with the healing. Different yoga stretches not only improve blood flow to the areas in question but help to loosen tight muscles. One such position called downward facing dog is effective in stretching the piriformis muscle of the lower back as well as the thigh muscles and hips.

Whirlpool baths are another option that can be employed to massage the areas that are tense and in pain. The warm water first acts to relax the muscles and reduce the tension. Then the jets of pulsating warm water gently massage the lower back, the hips, and the thighs. You get the benefit of having all areas massaged at the same time.

Massage chairs and vibrating cushions have been used by some with good results. They work by setting up a vibrating motion to different areas of the chair one at a time or all the areas simultaneously. They can help to reduce some tension in the tight muscles and stimulate blood circulation, but for really tough chronic cases of sciatic pain nothing compares to deep muscle massage.

Stretches also will prove to help with loosening tight muscles. You need to do the right ones to really help yourself and not do any further injury to the area. Therefore check with your health professional first or a physiotherapist. If allowed, moderate ones they can be used are sitting on the floor with legs outstretched and then stretching your arms out and trying to touch your toes. Another one is lying on the floor with legs outstretched and then bending at the knee and with your arms around the leg below the knee, gently trying to pull it back toward your chest.

Alex Ralbeck is a sciatica relief expert. For great information on nerve sciatica treatment, visit my website at http://www.stretchingforsciaticatips.com for helpful tips and information on relieving your back and leg pain.

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5 Common Treatments for Relief From Sciatica

ByCoreen Davis

Those suffering from sciatica will find a number of treatments available to them in today's medical world. Treatments are available that address both the cause of the symptoms and relief from sciatica.

Although each person's symptoms are not the same, most sciatica sufferers report numbness, tingling, and/or debilitating pain. Whatever the choice, the important thing is to seek treatment so you don't have to stop enjoying life because of pain.

Five of the most common treatments for sciatica today are

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Types Of Treatments Provided By A Chiropractor

ByMonroe Bennett

A chiropractor is a specialist in chiropractic techniques of treating various ailments. Chiropractic techniques are non surgical procedures to treat the disorders and misalignments in the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Generally, a chiropractor focuses on spinal manipulations and treatment of the surrounding muscles and structures. Most commonly, such techniques are used for the treatment of lower and middle back pain, aches the joints of arms and legs, headaches, and neck pain. There are various treatment methods that are used by such a specialist. Different sets of treatments are used to cure different problems in the body. For e.g. given below is the set of chiropractic technique that an expert will use to eradicate lower back problems:

1. Manual manipulations of the spinal cord - In this technique, a short lever arm with a high velocity thrust is used. This is used on abnormal vertebra to improve functionality of the backbone, reduce irritability of nerves, and restoring a range of movements in the back. Such manipulations are also known as adjustments.

2. Chiropractic mobilization - It is basically a form of manipulation of low velocity, stretching, and movement of the muscles and the joints of the lower part of the body. Such a treatment is especially carried out with the aim of increasing the range of mobility in the lower parts of the body.

In addition to suchlike treatments, there are various services that are provided by a chiropractor. Given below are some of the services that you can expect from a chiropractic clinic:

1. Physical therapies - At a chiropractic clinic, a range of equipment like electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and traction is used. Such techniques are used to lessen inflammation and back pain.

2. Exercises - Exercises are one of the most important services provided by a chiropractor. Stretching, strengthening, and cardiovascular exercises are carried out to treat various musculoskeletal problems. Such exercises help the muscles to stretch and regain strength. Following are two benefits of such exercise:

1. Such exercises will impart strength to under-active muscles and inhibit hyper-active muscles to regain proper body balance. In addition to this, such exercises help to maintain balance.

2. An expert also will suggest exercises for you to do at home. By doing such regular workouts, the weak and less active muscles of the pelvic region and the trunk are strengthened.

3. Pelvic stabilization - Sometimes a chiropractor will use various prosthetics to correct stance and treat problems of flat feet and subtalar instability.

In addition to all these treatments and techniques, a chiropractor will also provide you effective consultations on lifestyle modifications, will provide nutritional charts, and diet plans.

When it comes to choosing such a specialist, there is good news if you stay in Carrollton. Chiropractor from Carrollton will definitely offer the best treatments and services.

Carrollton Chiropractor - Do you stay in Carrollton? Chiropractor should be chosen from a few of the best Carrollton based clinics like Southwest Spine Center.

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