Sciatica & Sciatica Nerve Pain

                                    
Sciatica commonly describes the signs and symptoms of pain and possibly numbness or weakness that radiate across the sciatic nerve and are generally felt in the rear, along the back of the leg and maybe to the foot. Sciatica is probably the most common forms of pain brought on by compression of the spinal nerves within the lower back, and the leg pain is normally much worse as opposed to back pain.
The sciatic nerve could be the largest single nerve within the human body; it runs from them of the lower spine through deep inside the rear and back from the thigh and all just how down to the foot, connecting the spinal-cord with the leg and foot muscles.
The word sciatica describes the signs of leg pain and perhaps tingling, numbness or weakness that comes from the lower back and travels from the buttock and on the large sciatic nerve at the back of the leg.
Sciatica is often a symptom of an underlying problem - it is not a medical diagnosis by itself.


Sciatica Nerve Pain
Sciatica can often be characterized by one or more with the following symptoms:
• Constant pain within one side of the buttock or leg (rarely may appear in both legs)
• Pain which is worse when sitting
• Burning or tingling around the leg (vs. a monotonous ache)
• Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the tibia bone or foot
• A constant pain somewhere of the rear
• A sharp pain which could make it difficult to fully stand up or to walk
For a lot of people, sciatica pain can be severe and debilitating. For others, thesciatica symptoms may be infrequent and irritating, but have the possibility to get worse.
Usually, sciatica only affects either side of the lower body along with the pain often radiates from your lower back all the way through the rear of the thigh and down with the leg.
Low back pain might be present along with the leg pain, but most of the leg pain is markedly much more serious than the low back pain.


Common Sciatica Symptoms
• Lower lumbar pain, if experienced in any respect, is not as severe as leg pain
• Constant pain within one side of the buttock or leg, but rarely the right and left sides
• Pain that comes from the low back or buttock and continues across the path of the sciatic nerve - around the back of the thigh and in to the lower leg and foot
• Pain that feels better when patients lay down or are walking, but worsens when sitting or standing
• Sciatic pain that is typically called sharp or searing, instead of dull
• Some experience a “pins-and-needles” sensation, numbness or weakness, or even a prickling sensation around the leg
• Weakness or numbness when moving the shin bone or foot
• Severe or shooting pain in a leg that may ensure it is difficult to stand up or walk
• Depending on in which the sciatic nerve is affected, the pain sensation and other sciatica symptoms could also include foot pain or pain within the toes.

Sciatica Symptoms for each Sciatic Nerve Root
There's two sciatic nerve roots that exit the lumbar spine (L4 and L5) and three that exit the sacral segment (S1, S2 and S3). All five nerves bundle together to create the sciatic nerve, then branch out again from the leg to deliver motor and sensory functions to a particular destinations in the leg and foot.
Sciatica symptoms vary depending on where the compressed nerve root is situated. For example:
• L4 nerve root sciatica symptoms usually modify the thigh. Patients may suffer weakness in straightening the tibia bone, and may have a diminished knee-jerk reflex.
• L5 nerve root sciatica symptoms may extend for the big toe and ankle (called foot drop). Patients may go through pain or numbness in addition to the foot, particularly around the “web” of skin involving the big toe and second toe.
• S1 nerve root sciatica affects the outer section of the foot, which may radiate on the little toe or toes. Patients can experience weakness when raising the heal off the floor or trying to climb onto tiptoes. The ankle-jerk reflex are often reduced.

Since many nerve root could possibly be compressed, patients may go through a combination of the above symptoms.
Sciatica Symptoms that need Immediate Attention
Rarely, sciatica symptoms that worsen quickly might require immediate surgery. The following symptoms indicate a necessity for immediate medical care:
• Sciatica symptoms that carry on and get worse rather than improve, which can indicate possible nerve damage, specifically progressive symptoms are neurological (including weakness)
• Symptoms that appear in both legs (called bilateral sciatica) and cause either bladder or bowel incontinence or dysfunction, that might indicate cauda equina syndrome. Cauda equina syndrome can be an acute compression of a single or several nerve roots that develops relatively rarely, e.g. in 2% of herniated lumbar disc cases.

Reasons for Sciatica
When discussing sciatica you should understand the underlying medical reason behind the sciatica symptoms. You'll find 6 lower back problems that include the most common causes of sciatica:
Lumbar herniated disc.
A herniated disc takes place when the soft inner core from the disc (nucleus pulposus) leaks out, or herniates, with the fibrous outer core (annulus) in the disc and irritates the contiguous nerve root mainly because it exits the spine. Normally, it is thought that a rapid twisting motion or injury can bring about an eventual disc herniation and sciatica. However, most discs weaken with time due to repetitive stress, eventually producing herniation. A herniated disc may also be referred to as a slipped disc, ruptured disc, bulging disc, protruding disc, or possibly a pinched nerve, and sciatica is among the most common symptom of a lumbar herniated disc.
Lumbar spinal stenosis
This problem commonly causes sciatica because of a narrowing of the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis. Lumbar spinal stenosis relates to natural aging within the spine and is relatively common in older adults over age 60. The situation typically results from a mixture of one or more of the following: enlarged facet joints, overgrowth of soppy tissue, and a bulging disc placing pressure about the nerve roots since they exit the spine, causing sciatic nerve pain.
Degenerative disc disease
While disc degeneration can be a natural process that occurs with aging, for many people one or more degenerated discs within the lower back can also irritate a nerve root and cause sciatica. Degenerative disc disease is diagnosed every time a weakened disc leads to excessive micro-motion at that spinal level, and inflammatory proteins within your disc become exposed and irritate the region (including the nerve roots). That is truly not a disease despite its name, it really is part of the natural process of getting older.
Isthmic spondylolisthesis
This condition occurs when a tiny stress fracture allows one vertebral body to slide forward on another vertebral body (e.g. the L5 vertebra slips on the S1 vertebra). With a combination of disc space collapse, the fracture, as well as the vertebral body slipping forward, the nerve will get pinched as it exits the spine and cause sciatica.

Piriformis syndrome
The sciatic nerve will also gain irritated as it runs beneath the piriformis muscle in the rear. If your piriformis muscle irritates or pinches a nerve root that comprises the sciatic nerve, you can get sciatica-type pain. This is not an authentic radiculopathy (the clinical concept of sciatica), but the leg pain can seem to be the same as sciatica the result of a nerve irritation.
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Irritation with the sacroiliac joint - located at the end of the spine - could also irritate the L5 nerve, which depends on top of the sacroiliac joint, causing sciatica-type pain. The shin bone pain can feel exactly like sciatica caused by a nerve irritation.
More Reasons behind Sciatica
• Pregnancy. The changes that this body goes through during pregnancy, including fat gain, a shift on one's center of gravity, and hormonal changes, could cause sciatica during pregnancy.
• Scar tissue. If keloid compresses the nerve root, it may cause sciatica.
• Muscle strain. In most cases, inflammation related to a muscle strain can put pressure with a nerve root and cause sciatica.
• Spinal tumor. In rare cases, a spinal tumor can impinge with a nerve root inside lower back and cause sciatica symptoms.
• Infection. While rare, disease that occurs in the mid back can affect the nerve root and cause sciatica.
It is very important know the underlying clinical carried out the cause of sciatica, as treatments will most likely differ depending on the cause. For example, specific sciatica exercises, which can be almost always a part of a sciatica treatment program, will change depending on the underlying source of the sciatica symptoms.