Dr Ravi Mohali
- Aug 9, 2021
- 2 min read

SCIATICA PAIN

WHAT IS SCIATICA?

WHAT CAUSES IT AND HOW DO I KNOW IF HAVE SCIATICA PAIN?

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SCIATICA?

Sciatica Pain it is a symptom of an underlying medical condition, such as a lumbar herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis.

As many as 40% of people will get sciatica, or irritation of the sciatic nerve, at some point in their life.This nerve comes from either side of the lower spine and travels through the pelvis and buttocks. Then the nerve passes along the back of each upper leg before it divides at the knee into branches that go to the feet.

Common symptoms of sciatica include:

A constant pain in the buttock or leg, that increases if you sit Burning, searing or tingling down the leg or in the foot (may feel like you are standing on ice) A sharp shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up or walk Weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg or foot Sciatica usually affects only one side of the lower body. Often, the pain extends from the lower back all the way through the back of the thigh and down through the leg. Depending on where the sciatic nerve is affected, the pain may also be felt in the foot.

For some people, the pain from sciatica can be severe and debilitating. For others, the sciatica pain might be infrequent and irritating, but has the potential to get worse.

While symptoms can be painful and potentially debilitating, it is rare that permanent sciatic nerve damage (tissue damage) will result.

Please seek immediate medical attention if you have progressive lower extremity weakness, numbness in the upper thighs, and/or loss of bladder or bowel control.

I have successfully treated hundreds patients suffering from sciatica pain.

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WHAT CAUSES SCIATICA?

Sciatica is caused by irritation of the root(s) of the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine.

Additional common causes of sciatica include:

Lumbar spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back) Degenerative disc disease (breakdown of discs, which act as cushions between the vertebrae) Spondylolisthesis (a condition in which one vertebra slips forward over another one) Pregnancy Other things that may make your back pain worse include being overweight, not exercising regularly, wearing high heels, or sleeping on a mattress that is too soft.

One of the most common causes of Sciatic Nerve Pain is a herniated disc, also known as a bulging disc or slipped disc.

The intervertebral discs are the soft discs in our spine, their role is the act as a buffer or cushion for the spinal vertebrae.

Once the outer layer of these discs becomes weakened by age or injury, the centre of the disc can bulge out. Sciatica Nerve Pain can occur when the bulging disc puts excessive pressure on the nerve root.