Sciatica Leg Pain: Truly An Agonizing Ordeal
Sciatica is wrongfully explained as a leg pain. Well, maybe there is truth to that, but basically it is not just an ordinary leg pain. It is a medical condition so rampant that people seem to take it for granted assuming they can get away with it with self-treatment and by doing what other people is doing or advising. Others are dimly aware of the danger that sciatica illnesses bring.
Due to the ongoing misconceptions of sciatica, the real sciatica is defined as a nerve root irritation. It is also called a root or radicular pain or irritation. A nerve root irritation can occur at any part of the human body, but not all those irritations are sciatica. To fully comprehend the subject, be aware that sciatica is classified into two age groups: younger and older adults. The causes also differ in these two age groups.
Sciatica is a very serious leg pain. The sciatica leg pain goes down in a specific area of the leg. The painful feeling is indicated with a shooting, surging and intensely sharp pain that is often worse below the kneecaps and foot. It is plausibly disabling and serious enough to disturb your sleep. A person experiencing sciatica leg pain may be left with no choice but lie down since the pain is too strong for him or her to sit or even stand up.
Sciatica leg pain is uncommon, but less popular than a back pain. Some studies reported back pain incidence to occur in one's lifetime. It is said to likely happen by 77% among men and 74% for women, while sciatica leg pain in men is 35% and 45% in women.
The major cause for a sciatica leg pain is pressure on the sciatic nerve. And the common cause for this is a disc herniation or sometimes called as a ruptured disc. Some researches suggested that the pain is not entirely due to the compression of the nerve roots but also, because of disc inflammation. The nucleus pulposus may stimulate a chemical reaction against the nerve root, causing pain to be generated. This condition alone causes several changes, such as nerve root inflammations which adds more pain and afflictions, increased of the blood flow, scarred nerves, and loss of blood supply on some areas of the nerve roots.
Most people who complained for sciatica leg pain recovered without much medical intervention. Unlike lower back pains, a case of a sciatic leg pain can take comfort from a complete bed rest of two weeks. This is especially true for severe sc
iatica cases. The rest period gives ample time for the internal inflammations to subside, thus, relieving the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Regular medication may also be taken just as long it is prescribed by a professional physician. As sciatica leg pain abates, the person suffering from it must start keeping a regular physical routine in moderate level so as not to put too much strain on his or her vertebral discs, joints and sciatic nerve and its roots.
