Sciatica is one of the most painful conditions that a patient can have. If you have sciatica, you may feel the pain spread all throughout your lower body and back. It’s the sort of disorder that can make even very basic activities significantly harder on a daily basis, making it particularly important for patients to seek treatment. Experts like Dr. Bart Gatz in Greenacres know how to help patients manage problems that are as serious as sciatica. They can help patients get the pain relief that they need, and they’ll be able to respond to the challenges associated with each individual sciatica case.
Understanding Sciatica
Many of the conditions that cause back pain still won’t be quite as difficult to live with as sciatica. These issues typically involve specific muscles or joints. Sciatica has a broader range of consequences because it’s caused by abnormalities associated with the body’s sciatic nerve.
A problem with any nerve can have far-reaching effects, and this is certainly the case with a big nerve like the sciatic nerve. This is a nerve that reaches to the back of both legs starting at the lower back. As such, it’s part of most of the lower body. When something happens to this nerve, all of those areas can be affected.
Of course, it’s also possible for the tissues that are adjacent to the sciatic nerve to exert pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to the development of sciatica. Problems with the sciatic nerve will affect those tissues as well, making this condition both more complex and more serious. Other medical conditions can cause sciatica, creating a situation where you might have more than one medical issue that leads to back pain.
Sciatica and Risk Factors
It’s relatively common to develop sciatic nerve problems at some point during pregnancy. Patients who have herniated disc problems or other disc abnormalities may also be more likely to get sciatica. However, any spasms in the muscles that are close to the sciatic nerve can eventually cause sciatica.
More broadly, people who have sedentary lifestyles are more prone to sciatica and related issues. If you prefer to wear high heels on a regular basis, you’ll also be much more likely to get sciatica. Shoes that have heels that are higher than half an inch can all potentially cause these issues, so this isn’t just the case with particularly tall high heels.
Changing your lifestyle might be useful if you’re trying to stop yourself from getting sciatica. However, once you already have it, you’ll usually need to pursue some active treatment methods. Sciatica is a common condition, and there are plenty of associated treatment options.
Sciatica Care
Many sciatica patients will need medication, including medication that addresses nerve pain directly. Patients may take medication as part of a broader regimen that frequently includes physical therapy. Some patients have also benefited from getting therapeutic massages on a regular basis in order to reduce their sciatica symptoms.
If you have sciatica and don’t address it at all, the sciatic nerve may only get worse. The right therapies can stop that from happening and you’ll certainly feel much better in the meantime, and you’ll stop the pain from becoming that much more unmanageable. Sciatica isn’t something that a person has to accept. Medical professionals can help people who have sciatic nerve problems.
