Sciatica

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica refers to the pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve via-buttock -to- legs. It originates in the lumbar spine regions due to herniated discs or other causes and can be resolved with non-operative solutions. However, in some severe cases of sciatica, surgery is the only recommended option by sciatica doctors in Mumbai.

What are the symptoms of Sciatica?

The pain radiating from the lower back down to the legs is a hallmark symptom of sciatica and usually affects one side of the body. However, other symptoms include:

• Slight tingling sensations to excruciating pain in the lower back, butt, calf muscles, or legs.
• Discomfort while walking and sitting
• Jostling or electric shock kind of sensations
• Muscle weakness or numbness in the affected leg
• Inability to move or perform any actions with leg
• Feeling paralyzed on one-side

What causes Sciatica?

Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is pinched. The possible cause of nerve pinch causing sciatica are discussed as:

• Herniated Disk
• Spondililothesis
• Degenerative Disk Disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sudden Injury
• Bone tumor

How to differentiate Sciatica from other symptoms of spine-related pain?

The doctors examine the patient’s medical history, physically examine their back, and then recommend a few tests to diagnose sciatica. Though some sciatica symptoms are in common with other disorders, sciatica doctors in Mumbai follow a definite prognosis to confirm sciatica. The delineated diagnostic steps are:

Medical history examination

The doctors ask a set of questions regarding family history of spine disorders or medical history of patient indicating any spine anomaly.

 Physical tests

During the physical examination, the sciatica doctor in Mumbai ask for a walk test to notice leg movement. The doctor might also ask the patient to lie down on the examination bench and press calf muscles, gluteal muscles, and lower back to inspect the root cause of pain. The health provider may also ask to raise legs angularly to analyze their motion and inspect pain.

Screening Tests

• Spinal X-rays to look for spinal fractures, disk problems, infections, tumors, and bone spurs
• Magnetic Resonance Tests (MRI) or Computed Tomography (CT) scans to see images of bone and soft tissues of the back clearly. An MRI can show disk herniation or arthritic conditions associated with nerve compression.
• An Electromyography test is recommended to help examine electrical impulses traveling through the sciatic nerve and the respective response of muscles.
• A Myelogram is a diagnostic imaging test that uses dyes in x-rays, and CT scans of vertebra or disk are causing the pain.

When do you need to consult a doctor for Sciatica?

Mild sciatica heals with time. However, you must call all your doctor if self-care measures do not help in symptoms management and the pain lasts longer than a week or aggravates with time. Some signs when you must consult a doctor are

• You have sudden, severe pain in the low-back or numbness or muscle weakness felt in legs
• Pain after injury(sudden accident)
• You face trouble in controlling bowels or bladder

Sciatica Treatment:

Typically, doctors recommend a conservative treatment approach. However, if the symptoms worsen or the pain shows no response to treatment, the doctor may do surgery.

The conservative approach includes:

• Ice and heat treatment
• Chiropractic
• Physiotherapy
• Over the counter medications
• Stretching exercises involving specific muscles

If the pain does not respond to moderate treatment, the surgeon chooses decompression surgery as the best sciatica treatment. The surgical options include:

• Microdiscectomy–  is a minimally invasive procedure to remove the broken or herniated disc fragments or bone spurs to decompress nerves.
• Laminectomy–  is also a minimally invasive procedure that aims to remove the lamina that is the roof of vertebrae to decompress the nerve roots.