Lower back pain or pain that travels any distance down your leg is likely related to the sciatic nerve (aka sciatic n.). These nerves (one for each leg) are formed by a merging of the nerve roots that exit from the five vertebrae that shape your lower back. The sciatic nerve is responsible for transmitting all the information from your brain to each leg and likewise from your leg up to your brain.
If you happen to drop a weight on your foot, this is the nerve that relays the painful sensation from your leg to your brain. In the scenario from the last sentence, it is the sciatic nerve that also carries the nervous impulse from your brain down to your leg allowing you to pull your injured foot away from the weight. Continue reading “Sciatic Nerve – Sciatic Nerve Pain, Insurance Approved”
Piriformis syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle causes compression of the sciatic nerve. There are a wide variety of activities that can cause the piriformis muscle to tighten and pinch the sciatic nerve. Sitting for long periods of time can irritate the piriformis muscle as can jogging, running and lifting weights.
Compression of the sciatic nerve causes sciatica – a painful condition that can include gluteal pain, back pain and in some cases pain and weakness all the way down your leg. Piriformis syndrome is a frequent contributor to the symptoms of low back pain.
If you have a pinched nerve you may experience neck pain that travels down your arm or back pain that runs down your leg. Pinched nerves can occur whenever abnormal pressure, constriction or stretch is applied to a nerve by surrounding bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This increased pressure interferes with the nerve’s function, resulting in pain, tingling, numbness or weakness. Some frequently diagnosed examples of pinched nerves include sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome.
As our spinal cord passes through our lumbar vertebrae it divides and creates a sciatic nerve that travels down each leg. Sciatica is a painful condition in which the sciatic nerve becomes irritated or inflamed causing pain, weakness and / or other symptoms in the legs and for many patients – low back pain. The sciatic nerve can be compressed by a swollen disc, a herniated disc, arthritis or spasmed muscles. There are other more serious conditions that can irritate the sciatic nerve but thankfully they are rare. Continue reading “Sciatica – Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment”
Chiropractors spend a good portion of their days treating sciatica. My San Diego chiropractic office is no different, during any one time frame, I bet that I have a half dozen patients with complaints of sciatica with or without low back pain. Continue reading “Treating Sciatica”
Lower back pain or pain that travels any distance down your leg is likely related to the sciatic nerve (aka sciatic n.). These nerves (one for each leg) are formed by a merging of the nerve roots that exit from the five vertebrae that shape your lower back. The sciatic nerve is responsible for transmitting all the information from your brain to each leg and likewise from your leg up to your brain.
