Understanding Sciatica Pain
If your lower back has been aching for the longest time, you might be suffering from an acute attack of sciatic pain, or sciatica. Sciatica occurs when the nerve root of the sciatic nerve is compressed by muscle tissue, bone, or an intervertebral disc.
When the nerve root is compressed, it becomes irritated. This causes a myriad of symptoms, none of which are pleasant. Unlike other forms of back pain, sciatica produces sudden, radiating pain that usually begins from the lower back and goes all the way down to the legs. There are three types of back pain: chronic, acute and subacute. Back pain is considered subacute if the attacks last no more than three months. Back pain is considered acute when it lasts for only a few hours or a few days. If back pain does not resolve past the three-month mark, the condition is considered chronic. Now, sciatica pain usually involves the lower back, the gluteus maximum muscles, and the leg muscles. Pain may be isolated, or it may be generalized (radiating throughout the three areas of the body mentioned). Sciatic pain has three phases. The first phase is the sudden manifestation of the pain. In the second phase, the pain intensifies to its highest level before tapering off in the third phase. In some cases, people may experience some numbing or tingling in the legs during a sciatica attack. Movement would not be possible without both bones and muscle. The bones provide the sturdy framework of the entire human body, while muscles provide the actual force to move the bones so that we can go from one place to another. Every voluntary movement in the human body is possible because of the comprehensive system of long bones, small bones, joints, and muscles working together to accomplish the movement that you desire. Even in times of injury, the human musculoskeletal system works hard to move the human body about (albeit with some difficulty). Note that muscles are not attached to bones directly – this is simply not possible. Instead, there are connective tissues that connect the muscle tissue to the bones (and bones to other bones). There are different types of connective tissue in the body. Ligaments are the tough, flexible connective tissue that allows two bones to connect to each other. Ligaments are composed of versatile connective tissue because, although the two bones are firmly connected to each other, movement would still be possible. The feet, legs, arms, shoulders, and hands are prime examples of how ligaments firmly connect different bones without compromising the person’s ability to move. Tendons on the other hand, are tasked with connecting muscle tissue directly to bones. Tendons allow the muscles to move and swing the bones in the body. Sciatica nerve pain is caused by a combination of pressure and inflammation on the nerve root. Several treatments can relieve these factors. Most of these treatments are fairly easy and non-invasive, although surgery may be needed in cases where the spinal column or cord has already been damaged. The most common way that sciatica pain is treated is with pain killers. These types of drugs are non-steroid anti-inflammatory muscle relaxes. Opiate-based painkillers are only used as a last resort because of their high risk of addiction. Health care providers are also recommending daily exercise to alleviate sciatica pain. By stretching and strengthening back and leg muscles associated with sciatica, you can ease the pressure on the sciatica nerve. But the best Treatment for Sciatica pain is changing certain habits within your lifestyle to prevent or alleviate sciatica symptoms. Simply by changing your posture, you can alleviate sciatica pain and back injuries. Bad posture could be putting a lot of extra stress on your spine, disks, muscles, ligaments, joints, and nerves. When you’re sitting, make sure that you’re not slouching. You should not be leaning too far back or sitting too straight. You also don’t want your head to be too far forward. The human head weighs about 15 pounds. If it isn’t properly supported by your neck, you’re causing an excessive amount of strain on your muscles, ligaments, disks, and spine. It is important to have good back support as well. Use a chair that offers your back support. To ensure that you are not sitting too long, take breaks every thirty to sixty minutes. |