What Does Sciatica Feel Like?
If you have achy or sharp pain that radiates down the leg, the knee or into the foot, a possible condition is sciatica. Sensation of pins and needles, tingling and burning can accompany the pain. This is when the sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back down the legs is been compressed. You may or may not feel lower back pain.
What Are The Causes Of Sciatica?
Sciatic pain is often initiated by the compression of the sciatic nerve by an obstruction in the spinal cord. A common reason is a protruded disc. It affects the lumbar and sacral regions of the spine. Causes of a protruded disc can be:
- Prolonged sittingPoor posture
- Heavy lifting
- Strong rotational movement such as in tennis and cricket
- Bouts of intense coughing or even sneezing
Other Causes of Irritations of the Sciatic Nerve are:
- Spinal canal stenosis (narrowing of the canal where the spinal chord is located)
- Spondylolisthesis (displaced vertebrae)
- Spinal mass such as cancer, abscess or hematoma
- Pregnancy (baby’s head compressing the sciatic nerve)
- Piriformis syndrome (an injured muscle that irritates the sciatic nerve)
- Diabetes causing reduced blood flow to the nerves
How To Test That I Have Sciatica?
The most common performed physical test for sciatica due to spinal cause is straight leg raising test. Lie on your back. Then the practitioner lifts your straight leg upwards. If you get radiating pain between 30 and 70 degrees, you may have sciatica. Confirm with imaging tests such as X-rays and MRIs.
Which Nerves Are Involved?
Sciatica nerves include the lumbar (L4, L5) and sacral nerves (S1, S2, S3).
Medial leg pain below the knee indicates L4 pathology.
Lateral leg pain below the knee indicates L5 pathology.
Plantar foot pain indicates S1 pathology.
Back of the leg and calf pain indicates S2 pathology.
Back and medial leg pain indicates S3 pathology.
How Does Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Work?
Acupuncture is one of the most effective treatments for sciatica in our clinical experience. A systemic review (Ref. 1,2) concluded that acupuncture treatment was significantly more effective and safe compared to analgesics in sciatica. German studies (Ref. 3) have shown that low back pain improved after acupuncture treatment for at least six months. The effectiveness was almost twice that of conventional therapy (drugs, physical therapy and exercise).
Acupuncture points are meeting points of blood, nerve, lymph and connective tissues. Putting a needle into the points promotes blood flow to the area, reduce inflammation and relax tight muscles. It also induces the release of endorphins which are natural pain-killer hormones that reduce pain.
If you are hesitant about needles or if you want to bolster the effect of the acupuncture treatment, consider Chinese medicine. Herbs can improve circulation, reduce inflammation and reduce pain.
How Long Does It Take To Improve ?
It typically takes a course of 8 to 10 treatments but more often than not, after just two or three sessions of acupuncture, improvement can be noticed.
In severe cases, a second or third course may be required.
Lifestyle Advice For Sciatica
- Strengthen your core muscles.
- Strengthen the muscles on next to the spine.
- Promote circulation of the hip and lower back with hip wriggles exercise.
- Get up after 20s minutes of sitting. Do calf raises.
- Walk in a warm swimming pool.
- Swim freestyle, not breast stroke, in a swimming pool.
- Hot bath with Epsom salt or Chinese herbs.
- Turn on your core muscles when you cough or sneeze.
- Avoid dead lifts.
- When lifting objects, do not bend your back. Instead, bend your knees with a straight back and use your hip and thigh muscles to do the lifting.
References
- The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment on sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis, National Library of Medicine, 2022 Aug 17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35985442/
- The efficacy an dsafety of acupuncture therapy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2023, National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36845439/
- German Acupuncture Trials fro chronic low back pain: randomised, multicenter, blinded, paralletl-group trial with 3 groups, National Library of Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17893311/ 2007 Sep 24
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