Treatment of sciatica

At short-term sciatica is usually very effective OTC pain relievers are from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. Please note that they are not suitable for patients suffering from asthma, high blood pressure, liver disease and heart disease, and those with a history has gastrointestinal disease. For these patients safer is paracetamol.

If OTC pain relievers do not help, your doctor may prescribe painkillers opiodinye, such as codeine. In very severe pain may help muscle relaxants such as diazepam. Since diazepam can cause dependence, treatment should last no longer than seven days.

It is important that the patient is suffering from an inflammation of sciatic nerve, both remained physically active as much as possible. While bed rest may temporarily relieve pain, prolonged activity limitation will do more harm than good. Patients are encouraged as much as possible to walk, and perform stretching exercises Stretching exercises - Be careful . If because of the pain caused by sciatica, the patient took sick, he should go back to work as soon as it will enable the state of health; long holiday with the abuse is not conducive to a speedy recovery.

Many patients are unable to relieve the pain by using cold or warm compresses. To make a cold compress enough to wrap a package of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to the body. For a warm compress can use a heating pad or a towel soaked in hot water. For some patients, particularly effective is the use of alternating hot and cold compresses.

Treatments

In chronic sciatica home treatment methods and OTC drugs, as a rule, is not enough. Take long-term NSAIDs are not recommended because over time they can cause serious problems with the stomach and the digestive system, including the formation of ulcers and internal bleeding. For pain relief in chronic sciatica is usually advised to take paracetamol, codeine (often doctors prescribe paracetamol combined with codeine), tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline; gabapentin for neuropathic pain.

Gabapentin was originally developed as a drug for the prevention of epileptic seizures, but, like amitriptyline, he found an alternative way to use as a strong painkiller. You can not interrupt the rare gabapentin, as this might drug withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety Anxiety - how to distinguish normal from disease? , Insomnia, nausea, pain and sweating. If you want to stop taking gabapentin, consult a doctor - he will tell you how to decrease the dose of the drug to avoid the unpleasant symptoms (usually gradually reduce the dose for a week).

If other methods of pain relief does not help, the patient can be assigned to epidural steroid injections: a powerful anti-inflammatory drug is administered directly into the inflammatory focus. Due to this pressure on the sciatic nerve The sciatic nerve: how to avoid the excruciating pain?   It should be reduced, and as a result pain is becoming weaker.

A doctor can develop a patient individual training program or send it to a physical therapist who will show safe and effective exercises to strengthen and stretch the back muscles. The specialist will also help the patient to improve posture and reduce the load on the spine in the future.

Some studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy can help with chronic pain caused by inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This type of therapy is based on the principle that what we feel is partly dependent on what we think. Scientists were able to show that people are trained to respond to pain in a special way, using relaxation techniques Relaxation and stress - calm, not panic!   and maintaining a positive attitude to his condition, suffer less pain than those who have not undergone such training. In addition, cognitive-behavioral therapy helps patients to be more active, play sports, and faster return to normal life.

In the following cases for the treatment of sciatica can be used surgery:

• The causes of violations - such as the displacement of the spinal disc;
• The symptoms do not improve after using other treatments;
• Symptoms progressively worse.

Type of transaction depends on the cause of sciatica.

• Discectomy is used to remove displaced disc pressing on a nerve (such an operation is used most often).
• Surgical fusion of the vertebrae is used to return to the place of the displaced vertebra and thus eliminate the pressure on the nerve.
• Laminectomy usually prescribed for the treatment of spinal stenosis.

Diseases of the sciatic nerve

Diseases of the sciatic nerve can result from infection, intoxication, local hypothermia. In addition, they can occur in the background diseases of the pelvic organs or the spine, resulting in the sciatic nerve is compressed or inflamed.

What are the symptoms of the disease of the sciatic nerve

Diseases of the sciatic nerve is manifested in the form of paintings neuralgia (pain along the sciatic nerve - sciatica) and neuritis (inflammation of the sciatic nerve - sciatica). When neuralgia pathological process often limited the nerve sheath, causing nerve irritation syndrome. Neuritis of the sciatic nerve is developed with the involvement in the pathological process, as the shell and of the nerve tissue.

These two processes take place in different ways, with the degree of damage of the nerve neuritis Neuritis - nerve damage   higher than in the chamber Neuralgia - the scourge of the elderly Accordingly, it requires a long and intensive treatment.

How is sciatica

When sciatica patient concerned, above all, the pain that may be aching, cutting or tearing pecking character. Begin pain in the back of the thigh, and then apply to the lower leg and foot. If it affects the nerve in the buttocks and above the pain starts in the lower back and buttocks on the affected side, and then down below, first on her hip, and then to the shin.

Distribution of pain and increase of its intensity usually is gradual, but sometimes pain occurs suddenly, with a sharp turn of the trunk or lifting weights. In addition to pain often have sensory disturbances in the form of paresthesias - numbness, tingling, pins and needles, and so forth, are not caused by external stimuli. It intensifies the pain while walking, sitting on a hard surface, prolonged standing. From the standing position, the patient is based on the good leg, bending slightly at the same time the affected leg.

These points are points located between the last lumbar and first sacral vertebrae, in the middle of the buttocks, in the popliteal fossa, under the head of the fibula, in the middle section of internal half soles and others.

With a very strong and long flowing pain may occur curvature of the spine in a healthy way. Identified a number of specific neurological signs of irritation of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica patient walks, hunched over, his hand resting on his knee healthy leg. Often such patients can not walk without additional support in the form of sticks, which are supported with both hands. The affected leg is in a half-bent position, only the toe touching the floor, the body has been rejected in the opposite direction. In the areas of innervation of the sciatic nerve can be increased or decreased skin sensitivity. The skin of feet and fingers may be pale or, on the contrary, reddened, increased sweating in the feet.

In less severe sciatica, it can be treated successfully, but in some cases it can go into the sciatic nerve neuritis. In doing so, signs of irritation of the sciatic nerve align motor, sensory, circulatory and trophic disorders.

How is sciatica

When neuritis sciatica - sciatica Sciatica (sciatica) - is not a disease   come to the fore symptoms decrease or complete absence of nerve function. If the sciatic nerve is affected in the area above the buttocks, it leads to the fact that the gluteus muscles are reduced in volume occurs paresis (temporary immobilization) hamstrings, whereby the patient can not bend the shin.

If damage occurred in the field of the peroneal nerve, there is a decrease of muscle tone and decrease the outer surface of the tibia, the violation of dorsiflexion of the foot and toes, feet dangling, and turn it inside. The gait of the patient becomes a "cock" he raises high pace not to touch the floor dangling foot. On the heels to walk a patient can not. The sensitivity of the skin in the area of ​​the outer surface of the leg and foot is slightly broken.

With the defeat of the tibial nerve pain and sensory disturbances are in the back of the leg and the foot. Calves can be reduced in volume. Paresis of gastrocnemius muscles makes it impossible to walk on his toes.

Treatment

Appointed as novocaine blockade of the sciatic nerve. Assign also means promoting relaxation of muscle spasms that can increase pain.

If sciatica associated with diseases of the spine, then shows him stretching or wear a special belt fixing.

In protracted and recurrent forms of neuritis recommended spa treatment in Caucasian Mineral Waters, Sochi and so on.