What is it?
Sciatica is the name given to any sort of pain that is caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. The Sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body, running from the back of your pelvis, through the buttocks, and all the way down each one of the legs, ending at your toes.
But the most common cause of Sciatica is when your gluteus maximus muscle tightens, causing difficulty to move freely, and eventually working its way down your leg, to your feet and toes.
Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica
When the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated, it will cause pain, numbness and sometimes even a tingling sensation that diffuse from your lower back and will travel down one of your legs to your foot and toes.
Often the pain from Sciatica can range from being mild to very painful and can also be triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing or even sitting for a long period of time. Sometimes Sciatica can cause muscle weakness in the affected area e.g. legs
What is the cause of Sciatica?
Sciatica is sometimes caused by a herniated or a slipped disc. This is caused when one of the discs that sit between the bones of the spine also known as the vertebrae is damaged and presses on the nerves.
Another less common cause of Sciatica is spinal stenosis which means narrowing of the nerve passages in the spine. A spinal injury or infection, or even a growth within the spine such as a tumor.
Of course you can minimize your risk of developing a slipped disc or severe back injury that could possibly lead to Sciatica by embracing a better posture and if you have a job that involves lifting heavy things on a daily basis, be sure to learn a good lifting technique to stop injury to the back. You should always stretch before and after exercises and exercise regularly.
Remedies for sciatica
Sciatica can be helped by any of the following:
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