Exploring The Causes Of Sciatica
The causes of sciatica are many and any number of them can create extreme pain for the person suffering them. The sciatic nerve runs from the base of your spine in your lower back, through your pelvis, and down your leg to your foot. Any trauma or problem that affects that nerve at any point will inevitably send pain down your leg and sometimes that pain can be crippling. The causes of sciatica usually center around the bones and muscles located in your lower back or your pelvis and you can be assured that it does not take much to create an episode of sciatica pain.
One of the most common causes of sciatica is the compression of the spine in the lower back near the L4 and the L5 region. Usually this is the result of some sort of trauma or injury to that area that causes a disc herniation. The tissue in the disc will bulge out and press up against the nerve causing a lot of pain or the nerve will get pinched by the herniated disc causing pain as well. It is not always spinal trauma that is one of the causes of sciatica. In some cases there is a deterioration of the disc that eventually causes the nerve to be exposed to the spinal column and get pinched in between the two bones. These conditions of the spine are the more common causes of sciatica and they are treated in a variety of ways from therapy to surgery.
Some Of The Other Causes
In less common cases the actual sciatic nerve itself becomes pinched at some point either in the lower back or the pelvis. This cause of sciatica is not very common but can be extremely painful and require immediate attention for relief. In some other cases the causes of sciatica are the sciatic nerve being wrapped around muscle groups within the pelvis or lower back area. When these groups contract they can cause extreme pain to the entire sciatic nerve and this form of sciatica can be very difficult to treat.
Sciatica itself is a condition that is made of a series of symptoms and ailments that combine to create serious nerve pain. It is difficult to predict exactly what will be the cause of sciatica but the best advice is if you begin to experience severe pain in your lower back or leg that you get to your doctor right away.
