Scribd
Upload
210 views4 pages

Sciatica

Sciatica is low back pain radiating down the leg caused by pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve. Common causes include slipped discs, spinal stenosis, and piriformis syndrome. Symptoms vary from mild tingling to severe pain, and worsen with activities like sitting, standing, coughing or sneezing. Diagnosis involves physical exams like the straight leg raise test and may include imaging tests like x-rays or MRI.

Uploaded by

Venkatesan Vidhya
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
210 views4 pages

Sciatica

Sciatica is low back pain radiating down the leg caused by pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve. Common causes include slipped discs, spinal stenosis, and piriformis syndrome. Symptoms vary from mild tingling to severe pain, and worsen with activities like sitting, standing, coughing or sneezing. Diagnosis involves physical exams like the straight leg raise test and may include imaging tests like x-rays or MRI.

Uploaded by

Venkatesan Vidhya
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

SCIATICA

Sciatica is low back pain combined with a pain through the buttock and down one leg. The leg pain usually goes past the knee and may go farther to the foot. Sometimes, weakness in the leg muscles occurs with sciatica.

Causes Sciatica occurs when there is pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts in the spine and runs down the back of each leg. This nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg and provides sensation to the back of the thigh, part of the lower leg, and the sole of the foot. Common causes of sciatica include:

Piriformis syndrome (a pain disorder involving the narrow piriformis muscle in the buttocks) Slipped disk Degenerative disk disease Spinal stenosis Pelvic injury or fracture Tumors

Symptoms Sciatica pain can vary widely. It may feel like a mild tingling, dull ache, or a burning sensation. In some cases, the pain is severe enough to make a person unable to move. The pain most often occurs on one side. Some people have sharp pain in one part of the leg or hip and numbness in other parts. The sensations may also be felt on the back of the calf or on the sole of the foot. The affected leg may feel weak. The pain often starts slowly. Sciatica pain may get worse:

After standing or sitting At night When sneezing, coughing, or laughing When bending backwards or walking more than a few yards, especially if caused by spinal stenosis

Spinal disc herniation

One of the possible causes of sciatica is a spinal disc herniation pressing on one of the sciatic nerve roots. Herniation of a disc occurs when the liquid center of the disc bulges outwards, tearing the external ring of fibers, extrudes into the spinal canal, and compresses a nerve root against the lamina or pedicle of a vertebra, thus causing sciatica. This extruded liquid from the nucleus pulposus may cause inflammation and swelling of surrounding tissue which may cause further compression of the nerve root in the confined space in the spinal canal. Sciatica can be caused by tumours impinging on the spinal cord or the nerve roots. Severe back pain extending to the hips and feet, loss of bladder or bowel control, or muscle weakness, may result from spinal tumours. Trauma to the spine, such as from a car accident, may also lead to sciatica.
Spinal stenosis

Other compressive spinal causes include spinal stenosis, a condition in which the spinal canal (the spaces through which the spinal cord runs) narrows and compresses the spinal cord, cauda equina, and/or sciatic nerve roots. This narrowing can be caused by bone spurs, spondylolisthesis, inflammation, or herniated disc which decreases available space for the spinal cord, thus pinching and irritating nerves from the spinal cord that travel to the sciatic nerves.
Piriformis syndrome

In 15% of the population, the sciatic nerve runs through the piriformis muscle rather than beneath it. When the muscle shortens or spasms due to trauma or overuse, it can compress or strangle the sciatic nerve beneath the muscle. Conditions of this type are generally referred to as
2

entrapment neuropathies; in the particular case of sciatica and the piriformis muscle, this condition is known as piriformis syndrome. It has colloquially been referred to as "wallet sciatica" since a wallet carried in a rear hip pocket will compress the muscles of the buttocks and sciatic nerve when the bearer sits down. Piriformis syndrome may be a cause of sciatica when the nerve root is normal.
Trigger points

Another source of sciatic symptoms is active trigger points of the lower back and the gluteus muscles. In this case, the referred pain is not consequent to compression of the sciatic nerve, though the pain distribution down the buttocks and leg is similar. Trigger points occur when muscles become ischemic (having low blood flow) due to injury or chronic muscular contraction. The most commonly associated muscles with trigger points triggering sciatic symptoms are: the quadratus lumborum, the gluteus medius, the gluteus minimus, and the deep hip rotators.
Pregnancy

Sciatica may also be experienced in pregnancy, primarily resulting from the uterus pressing on the sciatic nerve, and, secondarily, from the muscular tension and/or vertebral compression consequent to carrying the extra weight of the fetus, and the postural changes inherent to pregnancy. Exams and Tests Physical examination
The Straight leg raising test is a test done during the physical examination to determine whether a patient with low back pain has an underlying herniated disk, mostly located at L5 , S1 or S2.

With the patient lying down on his/her back on an examination table/or exam floor, the examiner lifts the patient's leg while the knee is straight. "The straight leg raise test is positive if pain in the sciatic distribution is reproduced between 30 and 70 degrees passive flexion of the straight leg." Reflexes may be abnormal, with weak or absent ankle-jerk reflex. Tests are guided by the suspected cause of the dysfunction, as suggested by the history, symptoms, and pattern of symptom development. They may include various blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, or other tests and procedures.

You might also like