Sciatica: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Sciatica is one of the most common types of pain that affects the sciatic nerve, which connects the large nerve that extends from the lower back down the back of each leg. It is a sort of leg pain that is caused by a pinched nerve that is located in the lower back. Sciatica basically affects only one side of the lower body. Read this article to know about the causes, symptoms and medications for sciatica.

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is basically caused due to the irritation of the roots of the lower lumbosacral spine and lumbar. Some of the common causes of sciatica are:

  • Pregnancy
  • Lumbar spinal stenosis which basically means narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back
  • Muscle spasm in the back or buttocks
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Spondylolisthesis which is defined as a condition in which one vertebra slips forward over another one
  • Muscle spasm in the  buttocks or back

What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?

Some of the common symptoms of Sciatica

  • Burning or tingling down the leg
  • Lower back pain
  • Constant pain on one side of the rear
  • Shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up
  • Hip pain and lumbar pain
  • Numbness, weakness, or difficulty in moving the leg or foot

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Medications for Relief of Pain from Sciatica

Your doctor may suggest you physical therapy if your symptoms persist for couple of weeks. Sometimes proper exercise also helps in reducing sciatic pain. But the exercises that are recommended by the doctors totally depend on the cause of the problem. The therapist also helps in providing conditioning that prevents the pain from coming back. So always pick the specialists who have wide experience in treating people with sciatica.

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Final Word

These are the symptoms and causes of Sciatica as conversed in the article. There are many specialists and consultants that provide treatment for lower back pain and sciatica. So, choose an experienced specialist who can offer the best treatment for sciatica.

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