SCIATICA
The sciatic nerve is your body’s longest nerve and one of the most important ones. It has a direct effect on your ability to control and feel your legs. When this nerve is irritated, you’ll experience sciatica.
Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the buttocks and down each leg.
Sciatica most often happens when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on the lumbar spine nerve roots. This happens “upstream” from the sciatic nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg.
CAUSES OF SCIATICA:
It’s important to understand which conditions cause sciatica because sciatica is not a condition, it’s a medical term used to describe symptoms caused by other low back conditions.
Several low back conditions can cause sciatica, including:
- Bulging disc or herniated disc
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD)
- Piriformis syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Spinal stenosis
- Spinal tumors and spinal infections
- Spondylolisthesis
- Trauma
Symptoms
Sciatica pain can be almost anywhere along the nerve pathway. It’s especially likely to follow a path from the low back to the buttock and the back of a thigh and calf.
The pain can vary from a mild ache to a sharp, burning pain. Sometimes it feels like a jolt or electric shock.
It can be worse when coughing or sneezing or sitting a long time. Usually, sciatica affects only one side of the body.
Some people also have numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness in the leg or foot. One part of the leg can be in pain, while another part can feel numb.
Risk factors
Risk factors for sciatica include:
Age. People ages 20 to 50 are most likely to have herniated disks. Bone spurs develop more commonly as people age.
Obesity. Being overweight increases stress on the spine.
Occupation. A job that requires twisting the back, carrying heavy loads or driving a motor vehicle for long periods might play a role in herniated disks.
Prolonged sitting. People who sit a lot or don’t move much are more likely to develop herniated disks than active people are.
Diabetes. This condition, which affects the way the body uses blood sugar, increases the risk of nerve damage.
Ayurvedic treatments for Sciatica:
Panchakarma Therapy: Panchakarma is a cornerstone of Ayurvedic treatment. To remove toxins (ama) from the body, a number of detoxification and rejuvenation treatments are used.
Therapies including Abhyanga (warm oil massage),
Swedana (herbal steam therapy), and
Basti (medicated enema) are used in the context of sciatica to ease pain and inflammation, improve blood circulation, and restore the balance of Vata.
