Sciatica

Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve and its branches — from your back down your buttock and leg. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg.

Sciatica is a symptom, not a disorder. The radiating pain of sciatica signals another problem involving the nerve, such as a herniated disk. Depending on the cause, the pain of acute sciatica — which may be quite uncomfortable — usually goes away on its own within a couple of months.

In the meantime, self-care measures may help you ease sciatica. Sometimes, your doctor will suggest other treatment. 

Symptoms:

Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica. You may feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, but it's especially likely to follow a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.

The pain can vary widely, from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation or excruciating discomfort. Sometimes it may feel like a jolt or electric shock. It may be worse when you cough or sneeze, and prolonged sitting can aggravate symptoms. Usually only one lower extremity is affected.

Sciatica symptoms include:

• Pain. It's especially likely to occur along a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.
• Numbness or muscle weakness along the nerve pathway in your leg or foot. In some cases, you may have pain in one part of your leg and numbness in another.
• Tingling or a pins-and-needles feeling, often in your toes or part of your foot.
• A loss of bladder or bowel control. This is a sign of cauda equina syndrome, a rare but serious condition that requires emergency care. If you experience either of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately. 

Treatments and Drugs

For most people, sciatica responds well to self-care measures. These may include use of alternating cold packs and hot packs, stretching, exercise, and use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Beyond the self-care measures you may have taken, your doctor may recommend the following:

• Physical therapy. If you have a herniated disk, physical therapy can play a vital role in your recovery. Once acute pain improves, your doctor or a physical therapist can design a rehabilitation program to help prevent recurrent injuries.
  
  Rehabilitation typically includes exercises to help correct your posture, strengthen the muscles supporting your back and improve your flexibility. Your doctor will have you start physical therapy, exercise or both as early as possible. It's the cornerstone of your treatment program and should become part of your permanent routine at home.
  
  
• Prescription drugs. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication along with a muscle relaxant. Narcotics also may be prescribed for short-term pain relief. Tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsant drugs also can help ease chronic pain. They may help by blocking pain messages to the brain or by enhancing the production of endorphins, your body's natural painkillers.

Sciatica

Back and Neck Pain

What is low back pain?
 
Low back pain can range from mild, dull, annoying pain, to persistent, severe, disabling pain in the lower back. Pain in the lower back can restrict mobility and interfere with normal functioning.

What is neck pain?

Neck pain is pain that occurs in the area of the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck area. Because of its location and range of motion, the neck is often left unprotected and subject to injury.
Pain in the back or neck area can be acute, which comes on suddenly and intensely, or chronic, which can last for weeks, months, or even years. The pain can be continuous or intermittent.

What causes back and neck pain?

Even with today's technology, the exact cause of back and neck pain can be found in very few cases. In most cases, back and neck pain may be a symptom of many different causes, including any of the following:

• overuse, strenuous activity, or improper use such as repetitive or heavy lifting
  
• trauma, injury, or fractures
  
• degeneration of vertebrae, often caused by stresses on the muscles and ligaments that support the spine, or the effects of aging
  
• infection
  
• abnormal growth such as a tumor or bone spur
  
• obesity due to increased weight on the spine and pressure on the discs
  
• poor muscle tone
  
• muscle tension or spasm
  
• sprain or strain
  
• ligament or muscle tears
  
• joint problems such as arthritis
  
• smoking
  
• protruding or herniated (slipped) disk and pinched nerve
  
• osteoporosis and compression fractures
  
• congenital (present at birth) abnormalities of the vertebrae and bones
  

How can back and neck pain be prevented?

The following may help to prevent back and neck pain:

• practice correct lifting techniques
  
• use telephones and workplace computers and other equipment properly
  
• maintain correct posture while sitting, standing, and sleeping
  
• participate in regular exercise (with proper stretching before participation)
  
• avoid smoking
  
• maintain a healthy weight
  
• reduce emotional stress which may cause muscle tension
  

Back and Neck Pain

Back Pain Treatment

About 95% of all Americans suffer from back pain at some point or the other in their lifetime. While it is not a disease as such, back pain is definitely a symptom that cannot be ignored. If the cause of back pain can be identified, then one can actually go in for effective back pain treatment. People have numerous options for back pain treatment in Dallas now, thanks to the increasing awareness of alternative routes of treatment.

Let's look at the surfeit of back treatment methods available:

Spinal decompression: A tremendous improvement on tradition traction, this method can be used for herniated discs, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back pain. It is also an effective substitute for surgery, drugs and extensive therapy.

Chiropractic treatment: This natural healthcare method takes a holistic approach to treating back pain. That means that not just the symptoms but also the cause is worked upon. It is based on the simple principle that a healthy spine and nervous system greatly improve the body's natural healing mechanisms. After all, the spine is the main conduit of all movement, feeling and bodily function.

Acupuncture: This ancient Chinese medicine system aims at balancing the body's energy flow by simulating certain meridian points or channels. Disposable, sterilized, single use, filiform needles are placed at specific points, which correspond to the organs and functions of the human body. Micro-current needles are also used, depending on the patients' treatment requirements. Fibromyalgia, back and neck pain, cramping, cysts, acute conditions, wounds, psoriasis and chronic arthritis can be treated by this method.

Laser Treatment: Low intensity laser light is used to increase cellular metabolism with no side effects what-so-ever. The process of photobiostimulation has recently found FDA approval (2002), despite the fact that medical experiments on its efficacy have been ongoing since the 1960s.

Physiotherapy: This route increases flexibility, strength and endurance of the body's musculoskeletal system by using electrical stimulation, traction, ice and heat application, joint and soft tissue mobilization, etc. Physiotherapy is only started after profiling the patient's range of motion, balance, coordination, muscle control, strength and of course, medical history.

Massage therapy: This hand-based manipulation of muscle, skin, tendons, ligaments and joints is used to reduce physical pain, increase muscle flexibility and relaxation, improve circulation and healing, and reduce stress and to maintain physical functioning of the body.

Back Pain Treatment