Sciatica

I found out some great information about Sciatica. In this article I have only a small portion of the information I obtained. I look forward to sharing more.


6/17/09 Sciatica

Sciatica (taken from Sciatic solutions; written by Dr. Loren Fishman and Carol Ardman)
I learned the basics of how and why we can suffer from sciatica. In this book it was reconfirmed that sciatica is merely a symptom of something greater and not the actual problem.
In the book Sciatica solutions it gives seven general causes of sciatic pain.

1) compression of the sciatic nerve by a herniated disc in the back

2) spinal stenosis is (narrowing of the spinal column)

3) spondylosis (degenerative spinal osteoarthritis, often associated with aging)

4) Nerve Entrapment ( the most common is what is called piriformis syndrome) (which I will cover later in detail), A recent article found that 2/3 of non-disc sciatica was caused by this "nerve entrapment".

5) Inflammation and swelling from any other type of arthritis, sprains, joint slippage, or possibly infection.

6) Vascular problems. (ex. late pregnancy stages - due to increased blood volume in the spine, the fixed space inside the spinal cord may narrow, compressing g nerves and causing sciatica; for those with a condition called "pseudo sciatica" or intermittent claudication, poor blood supply in the legs can mimic sciatica after short walks. The compression, inflammation, reflex mechanism, or entrapments problems briefly described above are associates with the nerve fibers that travel through the spine, exit it, and pass down through the body to the lower extremities. these fibers from the sciatic nerve and other nerve fibers behind the sacrum travel down the legs and into the feet. The referred pain mechanisms include pathways going through the same points but originating above the spinal cord, often in the brain.

7) central mechanisms. Stroke or cerebral hemorrhage or multiple sclerosis can, on occasion, result in pain in the sciatic distribution. Referred pain is an especially relevant central mechanism of pain. Sometimes pour bodies can play tricks on us and we can confuse our central nervous system. In the case of sciatic pain, sometimes we have pain felt in the sciatic nerve but the pain is actually stemming from something completely unrelated. Some people are having referred sciatic pain and other pain including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), also knows as reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD). It is a condition in which typical symptoms are shown ( pain; often a "burning "pain, tenderness, and swelling of an extremity). These symptoms are also associated with a number of different varying degrees of sweating, warmth or/and coolness, flushing, discoloration, and shiny skin.
There are several ideas as to why CPRS develops but there is no real answer yet. Some ideas are as follows: irritation and abnormal excitation of the autonomic immune system, in the long run this reduces the diameter of blood vessels that nourish muscle and skin.
A variety of events can trigger the condition: trauma, surgery, heart disease, generative arthritis in the neck, and nerve irritation by entrapment. (ex: carpal tunnel syndrome) CPRS in not rare, it can imitate sciatica in places where pin is felt and in it's distribution on the skin. the condition can also cause a great deal of other symptoms that don't follow a pattern.

"The most common cause of sciatica"
Though some challenge the idea that sciatica generally starts in vertebrae L4,L5,S1, physicians have generally accepted this idea. The lumbar spine does most of it's job there, supports most the weight and sustains more muscular force just above that area. It's quite mobile and has variable space between nerve and bone.

more to come.....