What Complications Can Sciatic Nerve Pain Cause
Orland Park, United States – April 14, 2022 / Illinois Back Institute Orland /
What You Need To Know About Sciatica Pain
Many people are unaware that they might have sciatica, which is why it is important to know the symptoms and what to do in case you have it.
Sciatica is a painful condition that affects the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back through each buttock and down the back of each leg. It can cause pain in your lower back, hips, or buttocks along with burning, tingling, numbness, or weakness in your leg.
The professionals at the Illinois Back Institute shared their insights on sciatic pain.
What Is Sciatica
Sciatica is pain that originates in the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back through each buttock and down the back of each leg. The possible causes of sciatica include a herniated disk, degenerative disk disease, piriformis syndrome, spondylolisthesis, lumbar spinal stenosis, or osteoarthritis.
The Sciatic Nerve and Sciatica
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes compressed or irritated. This can happen anywhere along its course through your buttocks, legs, and feet. But it usually happens in your lower back because this is where the largest part of your spinal cord runs right next to the sciatic nerve.
What Activities Trigger Sciatica
Sciatica often comes on slowly, with mild pain at first. As the problem gets worse, your sciatic pain can become more severe and persist for weeks or months. It’s common for sciatica to be triggered by certain movements that place stress on your lower back or stretch your piriformis muscle. These are some of the most common activities that can cause sciatica:
Overweight
Your weight can place a serious strain on your back and spine, which can lead to sciatica. If your job requires you to be on your feet all day, or you have an especially sedentary lifestyle, being overweight is likely to cause sciatica.
Lifting Heavy Objects
Lifting heavy objects is always a bad idea, but it’s even more important to know the right way to lift something when you have sciatica. Unfortunately, most people tend to bend their backs while lifting. This is wrong and can cause severe pain.
Prolonged Sitting
Sitting has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years. Sedentary lifestyles aren’t healthy and can lead to sciatica flare-ups, so you must get up and move around regularly.
Age
As you get older, your risk of developing sciatica increases. This is because your disks are getting weaker and the facet joints on either side of your spine are wearing out.
Diabetes
This condition, which affects the way your body uses blood sugar, increases your risk of nerve damage. This includes damage to the sciatic nerve, which can cause sciatica.
What Are the Causes of Sciatica?
There are many causes of sciatica pain, including the following:
Spinal Disk Herniation
Spinal disk herniation (a broken-down disk) is one of the most common causes of sciatic nerve compression. A herniated disk occurs when the inner material of an intervertebral disk leaks out, resulting in pressure on surrounding tissues and structures, such as your sciatic nerve.
Muscle imbalances, poor posture, and weakness in your core muscles contribute to sciatica.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
It is the narrowing of the passageway that contains your spinal cord. For many people, this causes no symptoms. But for others, it can cause back pain, stiffness in your lower back and legs, and even sciatica-type pain if pressure builds up on your sciatic nerve.
Piriformis Syndrome
The piriformis muscle is located deep in your buttock, behind the gluteus maximus. This small muscle can spasm or tighten for several reasons, including injury, overuse during exercise, and poor positioning during sleep. When it’s irritated or tight, it can compress your sciatic nerve.
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis occurs when one of the bones in your spine (vertebra) slips forward over the bone below it. This can put pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause pain that shoots into your buttock or down your leg.
Cauda Equina Syndrome
This rare condition occurs when your spinal cord tissue extends into your lower spinal canal. It can cause severe pain that shoots into your leg, along with bladder and bowel problems.
Sciatica Symptoms
Sciatica symptoms depend on the location of the sciatic nerve and which nerves are affected. The following are some sciatica symptoms:
- Moderate to severe pain in the lower back, buttocks, and down your leg.
- Numbness or weakness in your lower back, buttocks, legs, or feet.
- Nerve root damage.
- Pain that worsens with movement; loss of movement.
- “Pins and needles” feeling in your legs, toes, or feet.
If you experience any of the above symptoms. Save yourself from excruciating pain by seeking immediate medical attention and getting a proper diagnosis.
What Complications Can Sciatic Nerve Pain Cause
Sciatic nerve pain can be debilitating. It can make simple activities difficult or impossible to do. This is because the sciatic nerve controls many of your body’s functions, including movement; bowel and bladder function; and feeling in your leg, foot, and toes.
Damage to your nerve roots can lead to permanent issues with your ability to walk, move, or control your bowel and bladder functions.
Sciatica pain can also cause other complications. These include the following:
- Psychological distress
- Depression
- Anxiety due to loss of quality of life
- Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
- Lower quality sleep
If you have sciatica discomfort, you should seek immediate medical attention. This is especially true if the sciatica pain you are experiencing is severe or prolonged. Ignoring the advice of an expert can make the pain worse.
Physical Therapy Can Provide Pain Relief
Physical therapy can relieve your pain and help you manage your sciatica. A therapist will consider all the risk factors and design a personalized plan for your treatment.
They will look through the sciatic nerve roots and determine the cause and extent of your condition.
After diagnosis, a physical therapist will address your pain using various techniques, like:
- Manual therapy
- Strengthening exercises
- Stretching exercises
The Illinois Back Institute Can Help You Live A Pain-Free Life
The therapist at the Illinois Back Institute will first carry out a series of tests before starting your therapy. After diagnosis, you will work with their team until the symptoms subside.
They make sure to provide you with all the help you need throughout this journey by offering support and guidance every step of the way.
If you are looking for sciatica treatment in Orland Park, you can rely on the Illinois Back Institute for your sciatica diagnosis and treatment.
For a pain-free lifestyle, contact Illinois Back Institute today at (833) 833-6770 or fill out the online form to schedule an appointment.
Contact Information:
Illinois Back Institute Orland
11540 W 183rd St
Orland Park, IL 60467
United States
Stella Zaimi
(833) 833-6770
https://illinoisbackpain.com/
