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What is sciatica: sciatica, symptoms and treatment

After diagnosis, patients ask: what is sciatica? Just some doctors is a General term sciatica is used more short and clear – sciatica. A small number of people know what sciatica and the symptoms and treatment of sciatica and even more. The human body is very complex mechanism, consisting of numerous tissues and nerve plexus. The longest is the sciatic nerve. It is formed of five pairs of spinal roots. If one of them is pinched, the appearance of symptoms begins almost immediately. It pinched and called sciatica.

Vospalenie sedalishnogo nerva

What is sciatica?

The sciatic nerve is quite long, is formed in the iliac-sacral plexus and passes down along the thigh area. In the popliteal fossa it divides, one part goes into the lower leg, the other in the foot. Pain while sciatica can not be ignored. Some inexperienced professionals in some cases confuse this disease with osteochondrosis. This most often occurs when the patient can not accurately describe their pain and show the exact location of the lesion. The main difference between the sciatica from degenerative disc disease in the localization of pain. In the first case, it can occur on only one side of the body, in the second case, pain surrounding.

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The cause of the inflammation

As noted above, signs of inflammation of the sciatic nerve occur quite rapidly and to tolerate them is very difficult. There are many reasons for their appearance:

  • Complications arising on a background of incorrect treatment of degenerative disc disease;
  • Education of different sizes in the area of the intervertebral discs;
  • Fresh or old mechanical trauma of the spine;
  • A complication of severe hypothermia.
  • The sciatic nerve is able to swell after even a brief overheating;
  • Arthritis;
  • Lose various origin infections of the pelvic cavity;
  • Abscesses;
  • A thrombosis.

Sciatica, the cause of which is infectious disease can be an indirect culprit of the poisoning of the entire human body. If the immunity of the patient is reduced, you will need additional treatment to overcome pathogens. Sciatica the sciatic nerve can produce inflammation of the piriformis muscle. Such cases are rare and difficult to identify. There is a separate medical term: piriformis syndrome. Localized pain in the gluteal region, lower leg and upper thigh, in the groin. The signs of sciatica when the piriformis syndrome resemble sciatica.

Neuralgia of the sciatic nerve can also occur spondylolisthesis at the displacement of the vertebrae. This disease is congenital, acquired. The sciatic nerve also becomes inflamed due to progression of the tumor to the spinal cord. It is quite rare. Also, the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, the main causes of which is a long time not possible to identify often lead to serious complications, until the development of cancer and disability.

Symptoms

The symptoms of sciatica can differ from each other. It all depends on the severity of the disease, the General condition of the organism, the affected area of tissue and nerve muscles. The main clinical symptom is severe pain.

The nerve endings are located throughout the body and have a large number of receptors that are very sensitive to any impact or damage. That is why when pinched, the patient appears almost unbearable pain.

The pain is felt in the gluteal area and extends across the leg, sometimes reaching the toes. In such cases, the doctor recommends to limit motor activity. At rest the pain subsides and is more aching in nature. If the individual decided to take a walk, even a little strained sore muscles when tilting forward or sideways, coughed, the pain syndrome increases, the pain may be radiating in nature. The symptoms of sciatica also occur in the phenomenon of numbness of the feet.

Simptomy zabolevaniya

Patients with chronic disease back know the concept of sciatica and what it is. This categorycitizens often complain of periodic paralysis of the lower extremities.

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis can only be a doctor. For this it needs to know the exact clinical picture of the disease, its symptoms, ask the patient about his condition. How to treat sciatica says the doctor-neurologist. To determine the exact location of inflammation of the sciatic nerve, the severity of the damage will help only special equipment:

  • An x-ray. The direction of the x-rays the patient receives in the first place. It can help accurately identify all violations, resulting in the spine, also good to see possible changes;
  • Imaging computer. It is recommended, when standard x-rays are not able to identify violations. The scanner scans all layers of the diseased tissue, looking for the basic foci of inflammation;
  • Magnetic resonance imaging;
  • Ultrasound. When "it" use the doctor can thoroughly examine the condition of joints, tendons, cartilage, ligaments. Study them to identify tumors that may become a direct cause of inflammation.

Diagnostika

It should be noted that after the procedure, ultrasound sciatica, symptoms of which are blurred, is easily recognized, the doctor has exact information about the localization of the disease and its severity. The advantages of this procedure: security for the body, no radiation exposure; no contraindications; able to "see" even the smallest vessels and fibers.

Treatments

Sciatica and its treatment appoints only the attending doctor, selected strictly individually. Therefore, it is impossible to say exactly how long treated a particular case. Treatment depends on the overall picture of disease severity, health status of the patient, age. In most cases used complex therapy.

Medication

Treatment of sciatica start with pain relief a powerful impact on the basic foci of inflammation with pharmaceutical drugs. In this case, discharged proven ortophenum, diclofenac, newmaximum. They have a good anti-inflammatory effect, successfully anesthetized. For expedited faster delivery of the drug in the body drugs administered intramuscularly or intravenously. To cure the disease, relieve inflammation, restore damaged tissue will help chondroprotectors.

Ortofen

Physical therapy

When sciatica treatment which initially took place with the help of medicines and gave positive results allows the following stage of treatment of sciatica: physical therapy. Most often it is the course of electrophoresis, a magnetotherapy. If the doctor sees improvement, additionally appointed physiotherapy. A set of exercises for each patient is individual and specific. Specialist preparation programs takes into account the causes of the disease, severity, level of physical preparation of the patient, age features.

At home

Sciatica treatment at home allowed if home therapy will be held in the form of prevention. The patient is discharged from the hospital then at that time, if the main foci of diseased tissue is restored and pain is almost not disturbed. Drug exposure can already greatly reduce. When the diagnosis of sciatica, acute sciatica the majority of individuals actively using the healing recipes of traditional medicine. This is allowed, but under the condition that the patient tells in detail about this doctor who gives recommendations how to cure the disease to end.

We list the most famous components of treatment at home:

  • Med. Treatment of sciatica is rarely complete without healing honey massage. The procedure can be carried out by yourself or ask the help of relatives. Sciatica, the treatment for which is quite complicated, "requires" that the product was natural and fluid. Need 250-300 g., heat and add 40-50 g of alcohol infusion. Liquid to cool and use as directed. But, it is worth remembering that the lumbar massage should not be painful, because you can injure muscles or joints.
  • Beeswax. Rarely do heating applications. Good warm up and relieve pain.
  • The balm infused with herbs. Sciatica for cooking you can take celandine, hot peppers, aloe Vera in equal proportions, about a large spoonful. Mix and dilute a lot of vodka, 200-250 g. What to do: to insist in a dark place for 7-8 days. Treated the place of localization of pain every day, the course is not more than 7-10 days.
  • The leaves of the agave. Apply to the affected places zamatyvaem tight, the top can be insulated with a handkerchief or scarf.
  • The infusion of rosemary. 2 large spoon to pour the same 5 spoons of pure vegetable oil. The resulting mixture infuse for 12 to 14 hours and use as directed, that is to RUB the affected area.
  • Healing bathsadd pine liqueur. Fresh sprigs of pine needles pour the boiling water and simmer on a slow fire half an hour. Take a bath with pine tincture no more than 15 minutes.
  • Hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches). Sciatica is a disease that provokes an inflammatory process in the body. Modern medicine proved that leeches can relieve the inflammation after one session.

Girudoterapiya

It is worth remembering that no matter how praised one or another popular method of treatment and not told how to treat sciatica quickly and without consequences in this way, national treatment may have its contraindications. In particular, you may experience allergic reactions.

Health food

In case of inflammation of the sciatic nerve symptoms and treatment that the doctor is necessarily a customized nutrition plan. Treatment of sciatica requires it to make significant changes in your diet. To eat a little better, 5-6 times a day. The diet must be present products that contain fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins a, C and E.

To saturate the body with calcium it is necessary to use in food: fish, nuts, seafood, cauliflower, nuts, liver.

The magnesium contained in avocados, peas, beans, pistachios. Iron is found in lentils, peas, corn, wheat. Vitamin A is found in broccoli, garlic, cheese. Vitamin C is in kiwi, sea buckthorn, black currant, orange, lemon. Vitamin D: liver, sour cream, egg chicken, oil. From the diet you will need to remove or severely restrict meats, sweets, salty and fatty foods. This category of food contributes to weight gain, which is extremely undesirable when the sciatica.

Prevention

To cure sciatica is only half the battle. To the disease has not progressed and the pain never came, you must comply with the General rules of prevention. With the right approach and a strong desire to be healthy is quite easy:

  • Keep your back straight (posture);
  • Try to avoid mechanical damage and downs;
  • To control weight;
  • Do not overheat and do not SuperCool;
  • To prevent the development of infectious diseases.

The question how to cure sciatica definitely can not answer no doctor. The disease occurs individually and maybe it is completely different signs and symptoms. Therefore, the treatment may take some time.