What Is Sciatic Back Pain?

Sciatica is a fairly common form of lower back and leg pain. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body, running from your spinal cord to your buttocks and hip area and down the back of each leg.  Sciatica is a set of symptoms, including the pain that may be the cause of compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve.  The pain is felt in the lower back, buttocks and parts of the leg and foot, and may be accompanied by numbness, muscular weakness, difficulty moving or controlling the leg, and usually only on one side of your body.  Sciatica is not a diagnosis for what is causing the irritation to the nerve, it is the complete set of symptoms.  The treatment for sciatica or the sciatic symptoms will fluctuate from person to person depending on the underlying cause of their own personal symptoms. 

One cause of sciatica is a spinal disc herniation, which results in pressure being placed on the sciatic nerve roots.  Another cause of sciatic back pain is from the compression of the lumbar nerves or by compression of the sciatic nerve itself.  S

pinal stenosis is a condition where the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord, which causes a pinching of the nerves from the spinal cord that travel to the sciatic nerve and irritates them with friction.  Sciatic back pain may also be experienced in late pregnancies, usually the result from the uterus pressing on the sciatic nerve, or from muscular tension as a result of carrying the extra weight of the fetus. 

Because there are many conditions which can cause sciatic back pain, treatment varies from patient to patient.  Doctors can perform tests in a series of physical exams.  These will include being asked to walk on your toes, bend forward and backward, squatting down low, rotating your spine, sitting down, lying on your back, raising one of your legs at a time.  You will be asked where your pain level is with each movement, and the result will be recorded on your chart. 

The most effective treatments of sciatic back pain are usually one or more of the following:

* Chiropractic

* Physical therapy

* Stretching exercises

* Acupuncture

* Anti inflammatory medications such as steroids or NSAIDs

* Yoga

It is not always possible to prevent sciatica, but there are many things you can do on your own to help protect your back.  The most important thing you can do to help prevent injury to your back is to exercise regularly. Paying special attention to your core muscles, those of your stomach and lower back which are essential to proper posture and alignment.  Cardiovascular exercise are also key to your over all health.  Maintaining proper posture when you sit and using good body mechanics, will help prevent future back problems.    

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Treatment For Sciatica

For most people who experience sciatica, the good news is that it usually gets better on its own.  With over the counter pain medication and regular exercise and stretching, the pain will usually go away in time.  The healing process typically takes only a few days or a couple weeks.  Those who experience flare ups of sciatica nerve pain need to seek a doctors advice so that management of the condition can be started so that it does not worsen over time. Those whose pain is severe and does not get better on its own a more structured pain management program or possible surgery may be the best approach to finding pain relief and preventing future episodes of sciatica. 

There are a number of non surgical back pain sciatica treatments that you can do from your own home. One is cold and heat therapy.  At the first onset of pain, applying ice or heat for about 20 minutes will help relieve the pain.  Repeating the process every 2 hours will continue the relief. 

There are many over the counter medications that can help in pain relief.  No steroidal anti inflammatory drugs such as Advil, or Aleve can be very useful in pain management.  Oral steroids have also been proven very helpful in reducing the inflammation, which is a contributing factor in sciatica. 

Epidural injects are most often used in the treatment of severe radicular pain, also known as sciatica. Sciatica is the pain that radiates from the site of a pinched nerve in the lower back to the area of the body aligned with that nerve, usually the back of the leg or down into the foot.  Inflammatory chemicals are often the generators of the pain that is associated with common back problems such as lumbar disc herniation or joint arthritis.  These common conditions, along with many others aggravate inflammation that can turn into severe nerve root irritation and swelling.  The steroids from an injection restrain the inflammatory response that is caused by chemical and mechanical  of severe pain. 

There are several alternative back pain sciatica treatments that have been proven to provide effective back pain sciatica treatment for many patients.  Acupuncture is one of the more common alternative treatments for sciatica relief.  Hair thin needles are inserted into the skin near the area of pain, and left in place for up to an hour.  Massage therapy is another form of alternative treatment for sciatica.  Many forms of massage therapy have been shown to increase blood circulation, provide muscle relaxation and release endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain relievers.  Chiropractic is another form of alternative treatment, which has been proven to help in manage sciatica pain.  Chiropractors focus on providing better spinal column alignment, which in turn should help to tackle and address any underlying conditions that could be the cause of sciatic nerve pain. 

Physical therapy and exercise along with a doctor’s advice and care will help to alleviate sciatica and prevent it from reoccurring. 

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Epidurals For Back Pain

Epidural steroid injections have fast become a very effective treatment for cases of major back pain.  Most doctors are in agreement that the epidural for back pain is very beneficial for a patient during a heightened episode of back pain.  The effects of the injection are only temporary if the source of the pain is not eliminated, usually lasting only a few weeks, or in some cases up to one year.  You can have up to three epidurals for back pain in one year.  The injection can help provide satisfactory pain relief so that the patient can proceed with physical therapy, rehabilitative stretching and a thorough exercise program. 

The long term effectiveness of epidural steroid injections are still under much debate among doctors and researchers.  The effectiveness of the injection depends on the proper placement of the injected medication.  The outcome of each patient depends on the information about proper care needed for recovery and therapy they receive after the injection. 

There are many potential benefits of an epidural for back pain.  The injection, if it is properly placed, delivers the medication directly, or very near the source of the pain.  The injection can also help control local inflammation while it flushes out inflammatory proteins and chemicals from the local area that may be contributing to the person’s intense pain.  A steroid, or cortisone agent is injected as an anti-inflammatory.  By reducing the lower back inflammation, pain is also going to be decreased.  The most common used steroids for this are Dexamethasone, Triamcinolone Acetonide, and Methylprednisolone Acetate.  Lidocaine, or Bupivacaine are the pain relievers most commonly used in epidurals for back pain.  They also serve as the agents used to flush out chemical or immunologic agents that cause inflammation. 

The epidural for back pain procedure has to take place in a hospital, physician’s clinic, or surgery center.  The injections procedure usually takes around 30 minutes.  You will be asked to lay on a flat table, and the area where the injection is to be inserted will be cleaned and sterilized.  The needle will be inserted into the skin and directed toward the epidural space.  Once the needle is in the proper position, the steroid solution will be injected.  The solution is injected very slowly, and the patient will usually feel a small amount of pressure as the solution goes in.  After the injection the patient needs to be monitored for about 30 minutes to ensure there are no adverse side effects from the steroid.  Some tenderness may be experienced at the injection site.  An ice pack will help relieve the soreness. 

The success of the injection is different for each patient. Typically patients will experience relief for several weeks, even up to a year.  Some patients may require additional injections over the course of a one year period, others may never need another injection.

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The Causes Of Cronic Back Pain

For many people, back pain is a daily debilitating condition.  Your spinal column is made up of more than 30 bones, or vertebrae, that are held together by tendons and ligaments and muscles and cushioned by shock absorbing disks.  Any problem in any part of your spine can cause back pain.  For some people, cronic back pain is a daily, disabling and excruciatingly painful condition. 

The result of wear and tear on your spinal column over time will result in back pain.  Usually most back pain will go away on its own after four weeks or so with the proper rest and physical therapy.  The most common causes of cronic back pain is injury to a muscle, which is a strain, or injury to a ligament, which is a sprain.  These injuries can occur for many reasons including poor posture, improper lifting of heavy objects, being overweight, or being out of shape.  Cronic back pain can also be a result from a very serious injury, such as ruptured disks, arthritis, serious infections, or fractures. 

The most common causes of cronic back pain may include the following:

* Kidney infection

* Obesity

* Arthritis

* Fibromyalgia

* Herniated disk

* Compression fractures

* Poor posture

* Pregnancy

* Sciatica

* Scoliosis

* Spinal fractures

* Spinal stenosis

* Sprains and strains

* Tension or stress

There are many things that you can do at home to help relieve your cronic back pain.  First, try to take the pressure off of your back.  Lying flat on the floor with your hips and knees bent at a 90 degree angle, place your feet on a chair, and stretch out your back.  Hot and cold therapy has also been shown to help with back pain.  Start with cold packs placed on the affected area for about 15 minutes.  The cold will help to reduce swelling and inflammation and the pain.  Stay with the cold therapy for several days, and then switch to heat therapy, by using hot packs, a heating pad, or taking a warm bath.  The heat will help to relieve the stiffness and help speed healing by increasing circulation to the affected area.  If you find that you get more pain relief from one method than another, use that therapy more than the other, but still alternating between the hot and cold every few days. 

Physical therapy and exercising regularly are going to help you the most in preventing future injuries. Consulting with your doctor will help you decide if a physical therapist is needed to help you recover.  It is possible that you may be able to start a regular home exercise routine to help you prevent further injury. 

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The Facts About Back Pain

Lower back pain is a common condition affecting up to 95% of Americans at some point during the course of their lives.  More than half of those will have more than reoccurring episodes at some point.  Most people, after a thorough examination from a doctor will have no real or specific cause as to the pain.  Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for a visit to the emergency room, and the doctor’s office.  It is the second most common reason for lost days at work.  The cold is the most common reason sited for missing work. 

The cause of one’s back pain is very much based on the individuals overall health and their daily activities.  Back pain is a symptom, possibly from some other health issue.  The pain from other organs is commonly felt in the back.  Many disorders such kidney disease, bladder infections, or appendicitis can cause pain that is felt in the back.  The back pain that is felt from any of these conditions may radiate, or travel down the front, back or side of your leg.  The sharp pain may become worse with physical activity, and occasionally the pain may become worse with extended periods of sitting or at night when you are in one position for too long. 

There are many situations when a person has back pain that they should seek immediate medical care. Any recent traumas such as falling from a significant height, a car accident, falling down stairs, or slipping and falling on the buttocks with resulting back pain would warrant a trip to the doctor to rule out any broken bones, infections or conditions that are producing your back pain.  A person with asthma, or rheumatologic disorders that have required prolonged use of a steroid that is experiencing back pain should see their doctor immediately. 

A person who is older than 65 and experiencing back pain should see their doctor as they have an increased chance of cancer, infections and abdominal conditions.  If you have unexplained weight loss, a temperature over 101, or lower back pain when resting, with chronic back pain, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. 

There are many different conditions and causes of back pain.  A thorough medical history should be performed by your doctor as part of your examination.  Your doctor should ask you several questions about the onset of your back pain.  (Did the pain come on suddenly?  Was it the result of a fall, or lifting a heavy object, or physical activity?)  Your doctor should ask you if you feel relief from the pain when you are resting, laying down, or if it is better when you are up moving around.  They should ask you about any recent illnesses, fevers, stomach conditions, cramping or any other physical symptoms that are not common in your every day activities. 

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