Back pain that strikes at the most inopportune moment is familiar to many. At this moment, a person has only one task - to quickly get rid of an unbearable pain syndrome. Next, consider one of the most common diseases - sciatica, symptoms, causes, types and treatment of pathology.
What is disease
Sciatica is a pathology of the musculoskeletal system, in which nerve endings are compressed, which provokes severe attacks of pain. Usually this is not an independent disease, but a consequence of degenerative changes in the musculoskeletal system.
Sciatica most often manifests its symptoms in the lumbar spine, which is associated with a large load on this part of the spinal column during any movements.
Disease types
Sciatica is classified according to the reasons that provoked it:
- The primary form is distinguished, in which the disease develops against the background of inflammation of the spinal roots.
- Secondary sciatica is a pinched nervegraduation.
There is another approach to the classification of radiculitis, considering the pain syndrome, allocate:
- Sciatica. It is manifested by strong pain sensations that gradually increase and radiate to the leg and buttocks.
- Sciatica. One of the symptoms of sciatica is pain, resembling an electric shock. The patient feels a burning, tingling sensation that radiates to the lower leg and back of the thigh.
- Lumbago. It is observed against the background of displacement of the vertebrae as a result of the development of hernias or muscle strain.
Given the symptoms of sciatica and the causes, the doctor prescribes treatment.
Causes of disease development
They can be divided into several groups based on origin:
- Diseases that provoke inflammation in the nerve roots.
- Pathologies of the spinal column, as a result of which symptoms of lumbar sciatica are observed, and treatment will be aimed at eliminating them.
- Disturbances in the internal systems of the body, which leads to the development of sciatica.
The first group of causes includes various infections provoked by viruses or pathogenic bacteria.
The second group of causes of sciatica include:
- Pathological changes in the bone tissue of the spine and its deformation as a result of infectious diseases (spondylitis).
- Osteochondrosis. It develops as a result of metabolic disorders of calcium in the bones and the formation of outgrowths on the vertebrae.
- Herniated discs.
- Ankylosing spondylitis, in which there is a systemic lesion not only of the spine, but also of the joints.
- Injuries of the musculoskeletal system.
- Curvature of the spine.
The third group of causes, signs of sciatica will definitely provoke, includes pathologies that are not directly related to the spine:
- Prolonged stressful situations.
- Exhausting physical activity, especially heavy lifting.
- Disorders of the endocrine system: diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, Graves' disease.
- Excess weight, which increases the load on the spine several times.
- Lack of physical activity.
- Hypocooling of the body, provoking inflammation.
Most often, signs of sciatica are provoked by causes from different groups.
First manifestations of sciatica
The main symptom of the pathology is acute pain that occurs during movement. After contacting a doctor, the patient is examined, during which the following symptoms of lumbar sciatica are detected, the treatment is then selected by a specialist, taking into account all the nuances:
- Spinal muscles tense.
- When pressing on the spinous processes, pain is felt that radiates to the buttocks.
- Skin becomes pale and cold along the affected nerve.
- Excessive sweating.
- Violatedsensitivity.
At the first stage of the development of the disease, the symptoms of lumbar sciatica in women and men are specific:
- Legas' symptom. The pain increases sharply when lying on the back and when raising the leg, which felt sore.
- Bekhterev's symptom. When changing from a lying position to a sitting position, a reflex flexion of the leg from the side of the lesion occurs.
- Nerl's symptom. Tilting the head sharply increases the pain in the hip.
- Dejerine's symptom. Pain is aggravated by sneezing, coughing.
- Bonnet symptom. On the side of the lesion, smoothing of the gluteal fold is observed.
When symptoms of sciatica develop, patients complain of unbearable pain, so they try to take a forced position, bending to the affected side.
Manifestations of pathology at subsequent stages of development
If untreated, the symptoms of sciatica worsen and the following signs join:
- When tilting the head, the pain in the back, lower leg and hip increases sharply.
- Mobility restriction progresses.
- When abducting the affected leg to the side, there is a sharp pain in the back of the thigh.
- When you try to sit down with straight legs from a prone position, there is a sharp pain.
- If you press on the midline of the abdomen below the navel, then pain appears.
The symptoms of radiculitis of the thoracic and lumbosacral regions are not much different, but the pathology quickly becomes chronic,which escalates from time to time. Acute symptoms disturb for 2-3 weeks, then the disease subsides again.
Diagnosis of pathology
Cause various causes of sciatica symptoms, but to prescribe treatment, the doctor must conduct a complete diagnosis. Many methods are used for this:
- Collecting and analyzing the patient's history.
- It turns out from the patient how long the disease has been bothering.
- The doctor performs an external examination by palpation to determine the affected vertebra and the site of inflammation.
- A blood test will show the presence of inflammation in the body. With an increased content of leukocytes and an increase in ESR, this can be said with confidence.
- Urine analysis helps rule out kidney failure, which can give back pain.
- Fluoroscopy provides information about the location of the pinched nerve.
- CT identifies the focus of inflammation.
- Electromyography can diagnose spinal nerves.
After the symptoms of sciatica are identified and the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor prescribes therapy.
First aid for an attack of sciatica
When there is a sharp pain in the form of lumbago, it is important to provide first aid and reduce pain. Before the arrival of the doctor, you must:
- Give the patient an NSAID tablet or injection. You can use: "Diclofenac", "Ortofen".
- Lay the patient on a hard surface and place a roller or pillow under bent legs.
Afterpain relief, further therapy is required.
Sciatica treatment
Symptoms and signs of the disease after first aid will definitely return if you do not undergo a course of therapy. The vertebrologist is engaged in the treatment of the disease, but you can contact an orthopedist-traumatologist or a neurologist. The course is selected taking into account the age of the patient, the severity of symptoms and the condition of the musculoskeletal system.
Therapy has the following goals:
- Remove pain.
- Suppress the inflammatory process.
- Establish nutrition for the spinal discs and nerve endings.
- Remove spasm of muscle fibers.
Therapy includes the following areas:
- Drug treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- Massage.
- Therapeutic exercise.
- Surgical intervention.
Drug therapy
During an exacerbation of sciatica, it is important to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, so the doctor prescribes the following groups of drugs:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In the first days, injections can be recommended: Meloxicam, Artrozan. After 3-5 days, you need to switch to tablets: "Nimesulide", "Piroxicam". They should be taken only after meals, as they have a negative effect on the gastric mucosa.
- Muscle relaxants to relieve muscle spasm. This group includes: Mydocalm, Sirdalud.
- You need to take vitamins: Kombilipen, Pentovit.
- For acute pain, blockades withglucocorticosteroids, "Lidocaine".
- To improve blood circulation, injections are prescribed: Cinnarizine, Trental.
In addition to medicines for internal use, treatment can be supplemented with external ointments and gels:
- Capsicam.
- Fastum Gel.
- Ortofen.
- Ointment "Viprosal".
- Menavazin.
External products must be applied to the skin, rubbing in with light massaging movements in the morning and evening.
After the attacks of acute pain are relieved, other methods can be added to the treatment.
Physiotherapy treatment
If the causes are known, the symptoms of sciatica and its treatment has already been started with drugs, then physiotherapy will only help. The main procedures include:
- Electrophoresis. During the procedure, medicines are delivered to the site of pathological processes.
- Ultrasound treatment.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Laser treatment.
The course of procedures allows you to reduce pain, improve blood flow, tissue nutrition and speed up recovery.
Manual Therapy
To restore the mobility of the spine, it is recommended to visit a chiropractor. Several sessions will relieve pain, improve mobility. The doctor uses several methods in his work:
- Push mobilization. The procedure is accompanied by a crunch or clicks, but it is completely painless for the patient.
- Spine traction. Caneliminate the displacement of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, and small hernias are also removed.
For such procedures, it is important to find a good specialist, otherwise you can only worsen the condition.
Acupuncture
This is another effective method of eliminating symptoms and treating sciatica, the causes of the disease do not play a special role. According to some data that have been obtained in the course of research, the effect of acupuncture is many times greater than drug treatment.
This method is based on the introduction of special needles into biologically active points. As a result, the body starts the processes of production of endorphins by the brain. As a result of the procedure:
- Improves metabolism.
- Blood circulation normalizes.
- The body's defenses are activated.
Acupuncturist twists needles to varying depths, using 1 to 5 needles per point. The procedure takes up to 20 minutes. The duration of the course of treatment is at least two weeks.
Therapeutic exercise
In diseases of the spine, no treatment is complete without a complex of physiotherapy exercises. For each patient, the doctor selects a set of exercises, taking into account the severity of the pathology, concomitant diseases. Exercise therapy has the following therapeutic effects:
- Improves blood microcirculation, which contributes to the normalization of nutrition and oxygen supply to tissues.
- The muscle corset is strengthened.
- Reduces compression inload redistribution.
- Metabolic processes are activated.
- Degenerative-dystrophic destruction in the spinal canal slows down.
- Fabrics become more elastic.
When performing the complex, it is important that the movements do not cause pain. It must be done slowly, smoothly, without jerks and regularly. Only in this way will classes give a positive effect.
Surgery
If the measures taken do not help, the treatment does not work, then you have to resort to surgery. Most commonly used by surgeons:
- Microdiscectomy. The method is used if an attack of sciatica is provoked by a herniated disc. During the operation, the surgeon removes part of the bulging disc. The positive outcome of such operations is up to 95%.
- Lumbar laminectomy. Used for spinal stenosis, when the patient is not able to endure physical activity. During surgery, part of the bone or disc is removed, which compresses the nerve endings.
Usually, the decision to operate is up to the patient, but doctors may urgently send the patient to the operating table if the patient has weakness in the legs, there is a loss of control over urination or bowel movements.
Folk recipes
After conservative methods, the symptoms of sciatica subsided, and its treatment at home can be continued using folk remedies.
For rubbing or compresses, folk healers recommend using:
- Squeeze juice from blackradishes and rub into sore spots until a burning sensation appears.
- Mix equal proportions of horseradish juice and water and use for rubbing.
- Apply chopped garlic to the lower back in a gauze bag.
- Mix wine vinegar with blue clay and apply the mixture on your back once a day for a couple of hours.
- Prepare an infusion of nettle on vodka and use it to prepare compresses daily 1-2 times for two hours.
- Apply a thick layer of honey on the sore spot, put a napkin and mustard plaster on top and leave for 1.5 hours or until a strong burning sensation appears.
- Heat s alt with propolis tincture and apply to the lower back, hold until cool.
After any of the above procedures, the place should be smeared with cream or oil and wrapped well with a warm scarf or scarf.
There are also remedies that are recommended to be used internally to speed up the healing process by removing excess s alt from the body:
- In 500 ml of water, add 3 tablespoons of aspen bark and boil. Until the volume is reduced by half. Add honey to taste and take 50 ml three times a day.
- Fill the third part of a half-liter jar with fresh lingonberry leaves and pour vodka. Insist for several days in the sun and take 30 ml three times a day.
- Take two parsley roots, cut into circles, pour 400 ml of water and put on fire. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Steep for half an hour, strain and take 30 minutes before meals.
Traditional healers are also advised to use the opportunitiesRussian bath. It is necessary to steam well and rub laundry soap into the lower back. After the procedure, you need to lie down in bed, wrapping your lower back well.
Consequences of sciatica
If you do not undergo a comprehensive treatment of the disease that has become a provoking factor for sciatica, the situation will worsen and everything can end badly:
- Compression fractures.
- Chronic inflammation with acute pain.
- Restricted mobility.
- Disturbance in the work of the organs of the genitourinary system.
- Disability.
Only a timely appeal to a specialist will prevent such consequences.
Prevention of sciatica
If it is impossible to completely exclude pathologies of the spine, then there is every chance to significantly reduce the likelihood of their development. If there are congenital abnormalities in the musculoskeletal system, then preventive measures will prevent the development of complications. The experts' recommendations are as follows:
- If there is a heavy physical load on the spine and especially on the lumbar, then use a belt, orthopedic corset or bandage.
- Don't lift weights, don't move furniture alone. When carrying heavy items, distribute the load evenly in both hands.
- Exercise your back regularly. They help strengthen the muscular corset, which reduces the load on the spine.
- Mandatory proper and rational nutrition. Less fast food, fatty and smoked food, and more freshvegetables, fruits, lean meats and fish. Definitely dairy products, nuts, honey.
- Constant weight control. Extra pounds are a heavy burden on the spine.
- If work involves sitting at a computer monitor for a long time or at a table with papers, then get up and periodically do a warm-up.
- After 40 years, it is recommended to visit a neurologist, vertebrologist annually to monitor the condition of the spine. Protrusions, osteochondrosis, spondylosis are much easier to cure in the early stages of development.
- Timely treat disorders in the functioning of the organs of the endocrine system, if you have diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, then visit a doctor and follow all his recommendations.
- To treat any infectious diseases, to prevent their transition to chronic forms.
All these recommendations are not so difficult, but we often neglect them. When the disease makes itself felt, most often we do not rush to see a specialist, but try to alleviate our condition with folk methods, analgesics. But we must always remember that jokes with the spine are bad, its pathologies without timely therapy end in failure, often in a wheelchair.
Take care of your he alth, then you can feel the joy of life until your very old age.
