What is Sciatica And Know When to Visit Your Doctor
Sciatica occurs due to pain radiating down the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve travelling from the buttock down to the back of the leg. Sciatica is caused due to compression of the sciatic nerve by a herniated disc and overgrowth of bone and ligaments. One should be aware of how this pain feels. Patients usually complain of a sharp, burning or tingling pain on the affected side in the lower back, hip and leg.
The sciatica nerve is the longest and thickest nerve in your body. There are two sciatic nerves; Each nerve runs through your hip and buttock on each side of your leg. They each go down the leg and reach just below your knee. Once there, they split into smaller nerves that connect to parts further down, including your lower leg, foot and toes. The pain may vary. For most people, it feels like a mild ache, to some, a sharp, burning pain. In severe cases, it can feel like an electric shock or many tiny needles pricking your nerve. It is seen that sciatica affects only one side of the body. Muscle weakness in the leg or foot that doesn’t allow you to lift your leg is another symptom of sciatica.
So, how can you deal with it at home? We at Cardiff Pain Clinic suggest; For mild symptoms, following a few simple exercises and changes in lifestyle can improve sciatica. Walking is an excellent exercise. If you are on the heavier side, you should shed some extra fat and check if it improves the pain or not. Follow a healthy and balanced diet keeping junk food at bay. This will help you shed fat at a faster rate. Leg exercises will help ease the pain. Lifting your legs every day for some time also helps alleviate the pain.
If you have a sitting job, walk regularly and avoid sitting for long hours at a stretch. But even after following these simple steps, if your pain doesn’t improve or worsens, visit us at https://cardiffpainclinic.com/ for an appointment. Dr Rahul Guru, Pain Medicine Consultant in Cardiff, South Wales, treats patients with sciatica. Types of treatment include medications, injection treatment (epidurals/nerve root blocks) and physiotherapy. More detailed information about the injections is on this website’s “procedures performed” page.
