Lumbar radiculopathy, sciatic nerve compression, or more commonly, sciatica, is the name given to the hurting of the sciatic nerve, a large nerve in the lumbar spine (lumbar nerve). The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve that branches out from the lower back, through the hips and runs down each leg. You might experience pain in only one side of the body, or both sides in some cases.
How to Identify Sciatica?
There are many symptoms associated with sciatica. You may feel pain or discomfort along the path of the sciatic nerve, which spans from the lower back region, down through the hips, and the back of each leg.
Sciatica pain could be mild, burning sensation or extreme. It could be triggered or made worse by long periods of sitting down, sneezing or coughing. You may also feel numbness in your lower body.
The pain may occur either in one region of the body, such as the lower back, pelvis, back of legs, or sometimes even in the leg and foot, if it extends to the tibial nerve. Some people may experience pain that radiates down both legs, or even to other parts of the body.
There might also be a case where different symptoms of sciatica affect the body at the same time. Sciatica may also affect the bladder control in more extreme cases.
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica occurs usually because of herniated disc. When discs become herniated that compress the sciatic nerve, leading to pain and discomfort.
The spine is a complex structure that is made out of the spinal column, the spinal cord, and the spinal nerve roots that extend from the latter. The spinal column itself is made out of several tube-shaped bones called vertebrae.
Because the vertebrae are hard bone structures, in order to prevent damage from them rubbing against each other, there are special cushions that sit in-between each vertebra. These are called spinal discs. The discs have two main components: the inner nucleus, which is a soft gel-like substance, and the hard outer shell that protects the nucleus.
When these discs wear out they may be pushed out from the proper alignment and pinch a nerve, applying pressure to it. When the nerve in question is the sciatic nerve root, symptoms associated with sciatica start to occur.
Other common causes of sciatica include:
- Bone spurs, which are small pieces of bone overgrowth that can occur along the spine. When a bone spur appears in the lumbar region, close to the sciatic nerve, it may eventually grow in a way that places pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to sciatica.
- Degenerative disc disease in the lumbar region, just like a herniated disk, is a condition that affects the spinal discs, and can place pressure on the sciatic nerve, due to lack of cushioning between the vertebrae, and loss of intervertebral disc space.
- Piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle is situated close to the buttocks, and runs diagonally across a portion of the sciatic nerve. It can sometimes compress the sciatic nerve, leading to its compression
Another cause of sciatica, which should be treated as a cause for concern is cauda equina syndrome. This is a rather severe condition that can lead to high levels of pain, as well as loss of bladder and bowel control. It should be treated as soon as possible, to prevent it from worsening. Apart from cauda equina syndrome, sciatica pain can also occur due to sciatic nerve injury or nerve damage.
How Can Sciatica Be Treated?
There are several conventional ways that are meant to treat sciatica. Because humanity has been battling back pain for a long time, many methods and devices to manage it have been created. Unfortunately, not all of them are “risk free” or come with no “side effects”.
Some of the most common treatment options for sciatica include:
- Anti-inflammatory medication to temporarily relieve the pain.
- Steroid injections to lessen the pain and temporarily manage the symptoms
- Physical therapy may help re-mobilise the spine, and remove some of the pain. However, this approach may require several sessions to see a tangible result.
- Spinal surgery. Although this can be considered as an option to treat sciatica, it should only be reserved for extreme cases, as most cases of sciatica do not require surgery to heal.
- Alternatively, you can try a method that is even better than all of these approaches mentioned above. That is the Backrack Spinal Decompression Device.
The device is great for at-home use, which means you can use it to treat sciatica at your own pace and comfort levels. It’s super-easy to use and you would need no additional help while performing Backrack exercises.
In other words, if you want to simply manage your symptoms and get temporary relief, you can use the suggestions provided before this section. However, if you want to effectively treat sciatica and get your sciatic nerve to stop hurting, you can try the Backrack.
The Spinal Backrack - A Unique Technology to Stop Sciatic Nerve Pain
Backrack vs. Other Conventional Methods
If you compare Backrack with conventional treatment methods, you’ll come to know that:
- Other methods put a burden on your wallet with ongoing medicinal prescriptions and lasting effects.
- Most of them are mainly management rather than treatment methods and provide temporary relief as they mask only symptoms and do not deal with the core problem.
If you are suffering from sciatic nerve pain, Backrack is just for you. A reliable therapeutic device designed and trusted by medical professionals with over 45 years of clinical experience.
If you are suffering from sciatic nerve pain, Backrack is just for you. A reliable therapeutic device designed and trusted by medical professionals with over 45 years of clinical experience.
Author: Spinal Backrack
