What does sciatica cause?

Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
Updated on September 12, 2024
00:00
00:00

Sciatica generally causes changes in six aspects. The first is pain, which mainly occurs along the distribution area of the sciatic nerve, including the back of the thigh, the posterior and lateral sides of the calf, and the lateral side of the foot and sole. I have seen a patient with severe sciatica who had to stay in bed with his head down and buttocks up to minimize spinal canal pressure, finding some relief only in this position. The second change is a decrease in muscle strength, which can even lead to muscle atrophy. The third aspect involves the pathway of the sciatic nerve, including the exit of the piriformis muscle, with tenderness and percussion pain along the course of the nerve. The fourth aspect includes symptoms of sciatic nerve traction, which involves positive results in straight leg raise tests and cross-legged tests. The fifth point is a weakened or absent Achilles reflex, due to the sciatic nerve's innervation of the muscles on the back of the thigh, leading to a decrease or disappearance of the Achilles reflex. The sixth point is abnormal sensations in the area innervated by the sciatic nerve, including reduced or lost sensations or mild sensory disturbances.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
40sec home-news-image

What foods should be avoided with sciatica?

Patients with sciatic nerve pain should be cautious with their diet in daily life. Avoid consuming spicy and stimulating foods such as chili peppers and black pepper. Avoid high-fat, high-calorie foods such as fatty meats, barbecued and fried foods. Also, reduce the intake of foods high in sugar like various pastries and sweets, as these foods are detrimental to health. Patients with sciatic nerve pain should eat more foods rich in high-quality protein and vitamins such as milk, eggs, beans, chicken, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruits. These foods are beneficial to health.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 16sec home-news-image

Sciatica obvious symptoms

Sciatica is divided into primary sciatica, which is sciatic neuritis, and secondary sciatica. This is due to other causes leading to swelling and pain. Clinically, it generally manifests in the following six aspects: First, pain that is primarily limited to the distribution area of the sciatic nerve, including the back of the thigh, the back of the calf, the outer side, and the sole of the foot, as well as the lateral side of the dorsum of the foot. Second, muscle strength governed by the sciatic nerve begins to diminish. Third, there are fixed tender points. Tender points are located at the ischial notch or could also be at the exit of the piriformis muscle. Fourth, there are symptoms of sciatic nerve traction, such as positive limb elevation, or positive straight leg raise test and enhancement test. Fifth, the Achilles tendon reflex is weakened or absent, while the muscle penetrative reflex is abnormally heightened due to stimulation. Sixth pertains to abnormal sensations in the areas governed by the sciatic nerve, including reduced or absent sensations, reduced absolute vibration at the external ankle, and some very mild sensory disturbances.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
59sec home-news-image

What should I do about sciatica?

For sciatica, absolute bed rest is initially required, ideally lasting three weeks. If three weeks is not possible, at least one week is necessary. Secondly, continual traction is used, which can widen the intervertebral space, reduce the internal disk pressure, and potentially expand the spinal canal, thereby alleviating stimulation and compression of the nerve roots. Thirdly, you can take some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or some traditional Chinese medicines, many of which contain pain-relieving ingredients. Fourthly, consider undergoing physical therapy, including physiotherapy, acupressure, and massage. Fifthly, intradiscal injections, intradiscal blockade, or catheter blockade can be considered. Sixthly, chemical dissolution of the nucleus pulposus can be considered. Thus, these are the basic treatment methods for sciatica.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 27sec home-news-image

How to relieve sciatic nerve pain

How to alleviate sciatica pain. First, it is necessary to rest in bed absolutely, especially sleeping on a firm bed. While sleeping on a firm bed, you can also pad a soft pad in the lumbar area and place a soft pillow under the knee joints. The main purpose is to keep the knee and hip joints in a flexed state, allowing the muscles in the lower back to fully relax. Second, you can take some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers orally. Third, you can use traction therapy. Traction therapy is very effective for relieving sciatica pain as it can reduce the pressure inside the disc and expand the volume of the spinal canal, thus alleviating the stimulation and compression of the nerve roots. Fourth, you can consider undergoing physiotherapy, massage, and manipulation. However, aggressive massage is not recommended. Fifth, you can undergo intradiscal blockade or sacral canal injections. Sixth, you can perform nucleoplasty, which involves injecting collagenase into the intervertebral disc, or between the dura mater and the protruding nucleus pulposus. This often requires the intervention of a pain specialist. Therefore, after the aforementioned treatments, sciatica pain should generally be alleviated. If there is no relief or if symptoms worsen, then surgical treatment may be necessary.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
37sec home-news-image

Pre-symptoms of sciatica

For the early symptoms of sciatica, it is usually manifested as obvious pain in the area where the sciatic nerve enters and distributes. The main symptom is radiating pain, especially under circumstances such as catching a cold, strenuous exercise, fatigue, or suffering from trauma, where the pain will be more pronounced. There are many causes of sciatica in clinical practice. Common causes include issues with the lumbar spine, such as disc herniation, lumbar spondylolisthesis, and spinal stenosis, which can compress the spinal nerves and result in symptoms of sciatic nerve pain.