Symptoms of sciatica : Sciatica Back Pain
Sciatica is a symptom that is caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve which runs from the lower back to buttocks to thighs and finally into the foot. Sciatica is also known as nerve root entrapment or irritation. The more common and one of the first symptoms of sciatica to appear is the back pain. This sciatica back pain can then gradually develop and runs down to the buttock and then the leg. Sciatica leg pain can be much worse than the back pain and therefore causes much difficulty. A patient usually experiences moderate to severe pain depending on the period since the symptoms of sciatica developed. Usually the sciatica back pain is located on one side.
Sciatica back pain is often misdiagnosed as pain caused due to muscles strain and sprain. Sciatica back pain can be distinguished from referred back pain by the radiation of the pain into the buttocks and legs with the help of a physician. Usually there is no motion linked with the sciatica back pain as compared to the referred back pain. Patients with sciatica also feel the numbness along the pathway of sciatic nerve and it causes the muscles to weaken. Sciatica causes the pain to develop that radiates beyond the knees into the foot. This causes to have a tingling sensation and the pins and needles feeling in your toes and foot. People with symptoms of sciatica can also suffer with an ankle ache.
The first symptoms of Sciatica i.e. back pain are usually ignored due to its profound similarity to the back pain caused due to muscle pull. Another distinguishing feature of sciatica back pain is that it often aggravates and intensifies with standing and sitting for long period of time or standing after sitting in a low position for quite some time. Coughing, sneezing, laughing and other bowel movement also further builds up the pain. Sometimes the pain can develop so much that it can cause difficulty in walking and in some severe cases a person cannot walk at all. Lying down is the only position which relieves the sciatica back and foot pain.
Sciatica begins with the lower back pain which can later completely disappear when the leg pain develops. This back pain and the developing leg pain are the main symptoms of sciatica. If these symptoms are developed, a physician must be consulted at once as the sciatica pain can often worsen the condition after a prolonged period of time. It can cause the loss of bladder and bowel which causes cauda equina syndrome, requiring immediate care. These symptoms of sciatica are quite rare and will not occur if sciatica is diagnosed in earlier stages.
Once the symptoms of sciatica is diagnosed, immediate treatment must proceed as delaying it could cause much more damage requiring surgery. In initial stages sciatica back pain can easily be relieved through various exercises and massage therapy which have proven to be quite useful for sciatica. In adults, symptoms of sciatica can appear in any age. If you experience any of these symptoms of sciatica, it is better to have it diagnosed earlier to avoid any troubles later.
