wow 2 good answers and one stupid one. I’m not sure what the first guy meant when he brought up the uncommon pyriformis syndrome, but I can vouch as a doc and a patient that occasionally, after the sciatica goes away, you get weird leg pains which are actually muscle cramps due to being out of shape. These can be muscles you don’t usually think about or worry about, like the pyriformis muscle.
Most herniated discs heal on their own without treatment. It’s no surprise ppl make claims that they took zero medications and they’re fine. However, inflamation is not always the best thing for the body to do (example: seasonal allergies are inflammation to innocuous things like dust!), and so anti-inflammatories are appropriate for something like a herniated disc. Also, if they can reduce a little bit of the pain so you can get up and be active, so much the better.
Do’s and Don’ts… Physical therapists are experts in this regard. They help get you out of bed and back to activity. They teach you positions to avoid and how to lift, sit, sleep, get up, etc. It really depends what is the cause of your sciatica though.
For herniated discs, you want to take the stress away from your discs. Proper lifting technique (or avoid lifting). Strong abdominal muscles to take the load off the disc. Be careful when jumping, crouching, kneeling, tiptoeing. Spine extension exercises. Avoid spinal flexion. Stay active so that all your muscles help to unload the disc
Tags: Causes, Do"s, Dont's, Lumber, Sciatica, Symptoms, Syndrome, What
Most people describe radicular pain as a sharp or burning pain that shoots down the leg. This is what some people call sciatica. This pain may or may not begin in the low back. Leg pain caused by compressed nerve roots generally has specific patterns. These patterns of pain depend on the level of the nerve being compressed. After reviewing your history, your physician will perform a physical examination. This will help the physician determine if your symptoms are due to a problem that is caused by spinal nerve root compression. Pain relief can be achieved by use of antiinflammitory medications, physical therapy, exercise, spinal manipulation, or other nonsurgical modalities.
piriformis syndrome, a condition that can cause sciatica pain and can be treated by stretching and back exercises
Sciatica means that a patient’s sciatic nerve is being compressed by another spinal structure, usually causing pain in the low back, on one side of the rear and/or down the back of the leg. Sciatic nerve irritation usually occurs at the L5 or S1 level of the spine.
The clinical diagnosis (and the focus for treatment) would be whatever problem is actually causing the nerve compression and the sciatic pain. The most common low back problems that cause sciatica are:
Lumbar disc herniation – where the inner core of a spinal disc in the low back extrudes and places pressure on a nerve root; also called a pinched nerve, slipped disc, bulging disc or protruding disc
Lumbar degenerative disc disease – when weakened discs in the low back allow excess motion in the spine and cause irritation of the nerve roots
Isthmic spondylolisthesis – where one vertebral body slips over another and pinches a nerve root
Lumbar spinal stenosis – in which a narrowing of the spinal canal in the low back pinches nerve roots, sometimes as the result of a bone spur
Lumbar subluxation – a term describing an altered position of the vertebra in the low back and the functional loss that results
Others causes – Although less common than those listed above, there are several other conditions that can cause sciatica and require medical attention. For example, patients who have a spinal tumor or infection should seek help immediately.
Multiple causes. Classic shooting pain, tingling, or numbness down the back of one or both of your legs, starting at your lower back and traveling through your buttock(S).
Do: Go see a chiropractor as soon as possible. The sooner you see one after you start to experience these symptoms, the better the chiropractor can treat them. If you wait, you will develop a very bad back. If this happens, then the chiropractor won’t be able to help you very well. A good chiropractor that I’ve heard of is Dr. David W. Darrow. His practice is called “Darrow Total Care”. To find out more about Dr. Darrow, go visit his website, http://www.darrowtotalcare.com
To schedule an appointment with him, dial the following phone number: (407)-331-4040
Don’t: see an orthopedic surgeon. 51% of the time, back surgery will also give you a very bad back!
Read the book The MindBody Prescription. They were going to do surgery on me to remove two herniated disks and a friend suggested I read it. Today I am 100% pain free and very active in dance and maintain two houses both with yards.
No pain medications. ESPECIALLY ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES!!!!! Inflammation IS your body healing itself.
Last but not least, stretch every day.