Sciatica
1. Sciatica is an umbrella term for a neurological condition in the back or a trapped nerve in the pelvis or buttock
2. It can come on suddenly and may cause intermittent or constant pain
3. It can be the result of a herniated disc compressing the sciatic nerve, causing sciatic symptoms
4. Spinal pathologies such as spinal stenosis or degenerative osteoarthritis may also compress the nerve
5. Additionally, the piriformis muscle when spasmed can entrap the nerve, causing symptoms
2. It can come on suddenly and may cause intermittent or constant pain
3. It can be the result of a herniated disc compressing the sciatic nerve, causing sciatic symptoms
4. Spinal pathologies such as spinal stenosis or degenerative osteoarthritis may also compress the nerve
5. Additionally, the piriformis muscle when spasmed can entrap the nerve, causing symptoms
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Book NowSymptoms
1. Sharp pain in the back / buttock2. Pain that radiates down the leg
3. Hot, cold, tingling or burning sensations in the leg
4. Numbness in the leg or foot
5. Muscular weakness
Treatments
Treatment may vary slightly depending on the cause of your sciatica1. Massage therapy can promote blood flow, relax muscles and release endorphins [1]
2. Extension based exercises are effective if the sciatica is due to a disc related problem [2] [3]
3. Flexion based exercises help to open the spinal canal and reduce impingement for spinal pathologies [4] [5]
4. Core strengthening can reduce pain and provide support for the lower back [6]
5. Acupuncture is an effective treatment to reduce pain associated with sciatica. [7]
References
1.https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2002/09010/Massage_for_Low_back_Pain__A_Systematic_Review.17.aspx Furlan, A.D., Brosseau, L., Imamura, M. and Irvin, E., 2002. Massage for low-back pain: a systematic review within the framework of the Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group. Spine, 27(17), pp.1896-1910.2.https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2004/12010/Does_it_Matter_Which_Exercise___A_Randomized.2.aspx Long, A., Donelson, R. and Fung, T., 2004. Does it matter which exercise?: A randomized control trial of exercise for low back pain. Spine, 29(23), pp.2593-2602.
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539720/ Mann, S.J. and Singh, P., 2019. McKenzie Back Exercises. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
4. Long, A., Donelson, R. and Fung, T., 2004. Does it matter which exercise?: A randomized control trial of exercise for low back pain. Spine, 29(23), pp.2593-2602.
5. https://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.1981.2.3.117 Lawrence M. Urban, BA, DPT. The Straight-Leg-Raising Test: A Review. JOSPT Vol. 2. No. 3, p.117-129
6. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0052082 Wang, X.Q., Zheng, J.J., Yu, Z.W., Bi, X., Lou, S.J., Liu, J., Cai, B., Hua, Y.H., Wu, M., Wei, M.L. and Shen, H.M., 2012. A meta-analysis of core stability exercise versus general exercise for chronic low back pain. PloS one, 7(12), p.e52082.
7. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2015/192808/abs/ Ji, M., Wang, X., Chen, M., Shen, Y., Zhang, X. and Yang, J., 2015. The efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of sciatica: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015.
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