Sciatica
Definition
Severe pain in the leg along the course of the sciatic nerve felt
at the back of the thigh, running down the inside of the leg.
Causes
Compression or trauma of the sciatic nerve or its roots, esp., that
resulting from ruptured inverbertebral disk or osteoarthritis of lumbosacral
vertebrae. Inflammation of sciatic nerve resulting from metabolic,
toxic or infectious disorders. Pain referred to the sciatic nerve
from other parts of the body.
Symptoms
May begin abruptly or gradually and is characterized by a sharp shooting
pain running down the back of the thigh. Movement of the limb generally
intensifies the suffering. Pain may be uniformly distributed along
the limb but frequently there are certain spots where it is more intense;
numbness, tingling; nerve may be extremely sensitive to the touch.
Symptoms grow worse at night and on approach of stormy weather. Duration
of attack varies from a few days to several months. In long-standing
cases, muscles grow atrophied and rigid. Recovery follows in majority
of cases when treatment is instituted early and is carried out persistently.
Some people claim that sciatica, in men, may be caused by "wallet-itis"
as they term it. Persistently carrying the wallet in the hip pocket
of trousers, sitting on the wallet every day, causes an irritation
of the sciatic nerve. To alleviate the sciatic pain and irritation
of the sciatic nerve, move the wallet to the other side, or better
still, don't use the hip pocket for carrying a wallet at all.
Treatment
Surgical intervention if due to ruptured disk. In acute stage, rest
is essential. Hot dressings may alleviate pain to some extent. Morphine
or meperidine may be required to control the pain, but the danger
of habituation must be remembered. In arthritic patients, full doses
of salicylates are useful. In chronically ill patients, prolongs rest.
Improve general health, good, nourishing diet: hot applications often
help to provide relief. Some patients are relieved by spraying ethyl
chloride over the course of the nerve; nerve stretching by pulling
the affected leg, or a lift in the shoe of the affected limb.
Herbs
TB
- Barberry, common
- Broom
- Burdock
- Chamomile, wild
- Crowfoot
- Fenugreek
- Juniper berries
- Motherwort
- Mugwort
- Mustard, white and black
- Parsley
- Pilewort (fireweed)
- Pine
- Rue
- St. John's wort
- Wintergreen
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