Sciatica

If you have a constant feeling of numbness, tingling, or pain in your leg then you need to see where this discomfort is starting. If the pain is starting in your lower back and radiates to the buttocks affecting the back or the whole length of your leg, then you might be suffering from sciatica.

WHAT IS SCIATICA?

The widest and longest nerve in the human body is the sciatic nerve, running from the lower back, passing through the buttocks, down the back of the leg and knee, and then branching off into 2 nerves in the calf and foot. When this nerve is irritated due to any reason it results in pain known as sciatica. The irritation can be caused by pinching, inflammation, or compression of the sciatic nerve in the lower back or the hip.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

The most prominent symptom of sciatica is radiating pain that travels from the lower back, down the backside of your leg, and sometimes into your calf and foot.  It usually only occurs on one side of your body.  You might also feel weakness, the sensation of pins and needles, or numbness anywhere in that path.  Your pain can be moderate but may increase if you have been sitting for prolonged durations. 

  WHY WOULD YOU GET SCIATICA?

Sciatica can arise from a slipped disk pressing the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve can also get damaged if your spinal cord becomes narrow in the lower back, you have an injury to the spine, or Spondylolisthesis.  The other common place for this nerve to get compressed is under the piriformis.  This is a lateral rotator in your hip that sits right on top of the sciatic nerve. Generally, if the pain only reaches your knee, the nerve is getting compressed at the hip.  When the pain travels all the way to the foot, it’s getting trapped somewhere in your lumbar spine.

 
 

SELF-CARE TREATMENTS

If you should find yourself with pain down the leg, don’t assume you need to see a doctor right away.  This often goes away on its own and can be helped without the need for medical attention. Start with resting and using ice on the low back to decrease pain and inflammation.  Gentle stretching can also be beneficial.  Below are a couple of stretches you can do to open up the hip and decompress the spine. Massage and acupuncture are the next best and most helpful tools to relax the muscles affected by sciatica. The sooner you start helping yourself, the quicker you’ll get relief.

STRETCHES:

Piriformis Stretch

I love this “lazy” stretch because it completely isolates the muscle while allowing you to do virtually nothing!

  • Start with legs up the wall and your butt as close as you can get it to the wall. (If your hamstrings are tight, you might find yourself little further away). ***I find it easiest to start by sitting sideways against the wall and then spinning my legs up***

  • Cross the ankle of the affected leg over the opposite thigh to open up the hip.

  • Drag the (unaffected) leg down the wall till you feel a good stretch in the hip of the bent (affected) leg.

Hold for 45 seconds - 3 minutes

 
 

Low Back Decompression

This is another great, “lazy” stretch!

  • Start with legs up the wall and your butt as close as you can get it to the wall.

  • Roll up a pillow or blanket and place underneath your bottom so that your low back rounds into a “C” curve. This will open up your back and allow it decompress.

Hold for 1-10 minutes while relaxing and breathing into your back

 
 
DanielleComment