Pain through the sciatic nerve
If the sciatic nerve (nervus sciadicus) is pinched or inflamed, pain occurs, which can be either sharp and shooting or rather dull. The pain can either radiate into the leg or be located directly above the lesion of the sciatic nerve in the buttocks. Depending on the type of lesion of the nerve, inflammatory or due to an incarceration, the pain can either be sudden or develop insidiously.
The intensity of the pain can also be so high that movement is restricted because the leg almost automatically assumes a relieving position. In the relieving posture, the pain usually decreases a little and can even be reduced completely. However, the pain often returns when the relieving posture is abandoned.
As a measure against the pain of an incarceration, the affected person can lie on his back and lay his legs bent at a 90° angle in the knee high, thus stretching the sciatic nerve and relieving the pain. The pain can also severely restrict the quality of life of the affected person, because the pain can also often result in restrictions in the movement of the leg. Patients should consult their general practitioner in the event of such a painful event, as this condition can also result in a medical certificate.
This pain is rarely an emergency, but it should be treated to enable the patient to move around without pain as soon as possible. The pain can of course take on different intensities and is also perceived very differently from person to person. For example, in some people even slight pain can trigger a severe reduction in quality of life.
In other patients, however, even severe pain can only cause a slight reduction in quality of life. Of course, the principle that nobody has to suffer pain applies. To set the correct dosage of pain medication, patients should consult their doctor or pharmacist.
Sciatic nerve irritated
The most common irritation of sciatica occurs at the nerve root. There can be various causes for the irritation. Starting with a herniated disc of the lumbar spine up to a severe incarceration of the sciatic nerve, the causes can be In case of a herniated disc of the lumbar spine, the pain originates from the segment in which the disc prolapsed.
In the case of a herniated disc, the disc, which serves as a damper between the vertebral bodies, presses on the spinal canal or the nerve roots of the nerve. This pressure on the nerve root irritates the nerve and causes a stabbing pain, which can also shoot into the leg as symptoms. The pain can severely restrict the freedom of movement of the leg.
Depending on which nerve root, whether sensitive or motor, has been damaged, the leg can also become paralyzed. Since irritation of the sciatic nerve can be caused by a herniated disc, among other things, the same risk factors naturally apply here. These factors include degenerative changes in the spinal column, a permanent heavy load on the spinal column due to, for example, heavy physical work, incorrect posture, especially in sedentary jobs, and obesity (adiposity).
Painkillers can be taken to relieve the pain, but they should not be used permanently.On the other hand, muscle relaxants can be used to relieve tension and thus also correct a poor posture that has led to irritation of the nerve. After the symptoms have subsided, it is a good idea to train and strengthen the back muscles to prevent further irritation. If symptoms of the sciatic nerve occur more frequently, the therapy can also be carried out surgically. However, conservative therapy should be tried out before surgery.
