Sciatica nerve pain can vary from irritating to debilitating. This article will show you how to discover both the causes of sciatica and the best treatments for sciatic pain that are available for you now.

cause of sciatica

Did you know that the sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the human body. Sciatica causes pain when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched or irritated in some manner. A herniated disc is perhaps the most common cause of sciatic nerve pain. It happens when the soft inner core of a spinal disc extrudes through the harder outer core – usually due to repetitive stress or injury – this material rubs against and irritates the sciatic nerve where it exits the spine.

Some other common sciatica causes involve lumbar spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal), degenerative disc disease, isthmic spondylolisthesis, piriformis syndrome, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction. While some of these conditions do not cause clinical sciatica, each one pinches or otherwise irritates the sciatic nerve causing similar sciatic nerve pains.
You must first understand the true cause of your sciatica before you try to develop a plan on how to treat the pain.
How to Recognize Sciatic Nerve Pains
Sciatica causes one or more of these common symptoms, usually on only one side of the body:
• Pain in the buttocks or back of leg, sometimes starting as high as the lower back or traveling as far as the feet and toes, with worse pain while sitting
• Burning, tingling, numbness or weakness in the leg or foot
• Persistent pain in one side of the buttocks
• Shooting pain down leg while standing

Common Treatments for Sciatic Pain
Fortunately for sciatic pain sufferers, most sciatic nerve pains will go away on their own in a matter of days or weeks and cause no permanent nerve damage. Treatments for sciatica range from mild stretching to spinal surgery. Discuss the following sciatica treatment options with your healthcare provider to determine which treatments for sciatica are right for your situation:
• Heat/Ice – Alternate heat and ice packs for relief of sciatic nerve pains
• Medications – Over-the-counter NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen can reduce inflammation and ease pain
• Spinal manipulation – Manual manipulation and spinal adjustments performed by a chiropractor, osteopathic physician, or physical therapist can help resolve the underlying condition behind your sciatic nerve pains
• Physical and massage therapy – Movement, stretching and exercise can provide more sciatic pain relief than rest
• Epidural steroid injections – Steroids injected directly to the area of inflammation may provide temporary pain relief by reducing inflammation

Spinal surgery – Spinal surgery treatments for sciatica should only be considered after non-surgical options fail; spinal surgery usually attempts to stop nerve pain by removing the material pinching or irritating the nerve

We hope you have found this article helpful.

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