Sciatica Symptoms
If you’re curious to whether you have sciatica symptoms, you’re probably right – you have!
How can I be so sure? Well frankly I can’t – not 100% anyway, but nearly all lower back pain complaints will give you sciatica symptoms.
Let me explain-:
Whether you have a serious back problem, suffered an injury, or maybe lifted something heavy and sometimes – for no reason whatsoever – there are just some days when you wake up with crippling back pain.
Simple Sciatica Treatment Options
If you have a burning pain in the buttocks, in the back of the leg, in the top of the foot and into your big toe, you may be actually surprised to know that you may require sciatica treatment. This is because the symptoms are those of a back pain complaint called Sciatica.
Often the sciatic nerve which exits the base of the spine can be pinched or have pressure against it, due to a muscle spasm in your lower back, this can cause painful sensations and numbness anywhere along the path of the sciatic nerve.
The pain is usually felt on one side of the body, but in some rare instances both sides. Sciatic pain felt on both sides of the body is called bi-lateral sciatica and is very rare. Trying to treat the areas in your buttocks and legs will not fix the problem, specialist sciatica treatment is required.
End Sciatic Nerve Pain Today
The sciatic nerve is a large bundle of nerve fibres which exits the spinal canal at the lower back and is responsible for controlling and providing sensory function to the muscles in your buttocks, back of your leg, top of the foot and into the big toe.
Symptoms When the sciatic nerve is pinched, inflamed, or damaged, you may feel pain anywhere along the path of the nerve, however most sufferers complain of pain in the buttock, and the hip as these are the largest of the muscles to spasm. Although it is possible for pain two be felt on both sides of the body it is usually more common on either the right hand or left hand side.
Eliminate Sciatic Nerve Pain Now!
Sciatic Nerve Pain: The Sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, and is about the diameter of your little finger. The nerve runs from the base of your spine, through the buttock into the back of your leg, to the side of the calf muscle, through your ankle into the top of your foot and ends at your big toe.
Sciatic Nerve Pain – Symptoms: Sciatica nerve pain usually starts in the lower back, but you will experience most of the pain in your legs and buttocks, in the hip, and anywhere along the path of the nerve. The pain is usually on one side, but it is possible to have pain on both sides (Bi-lateral Sciatica) but this is rare.
Classic symptoms of Sciatica are pins and needles, tingling or crawling sensations which can be felt anywhere along the path of the nerve, you may also get cramping pains in your lower back, buttocks or legs as the muscles contract and become imbalanced.
Yoga: The Most Effective Scoliosis Exercise
Before we understand about scoliosis exercise let us have a brief overview of what scoliosis is.
Scoliosis is a back condition in which a person has side-to-side spinal curves in addition to the normal curves through which the lower portion of the human back curves inwards. This condition can result in severe deformity of the back and cause back pain. There are surgical interventions for curing this problem.
The most effective remedy for such a condition are exercises for scoliosis. Although many exercises help in reducing the Scoliosis-related problems, yoga is improving the problem of uneven curves and it is considered one of the best Exercises to Correct Scoliosis.
Yoga postures are helpful for providing relief from scoliosis because they enable us to stretch our body and help regain the normal shape of the spine.
So What Is A Slipped Disc?
A slipped disc (often called a ‘herniated’ or prolapsed disc) is one of the most common causes of back and leg pain, but firstly it’s important to understand what it is and why you have got it.
The disc, which provides a cushioning between the vertebrae of the spine, consists of a harder outer shell, with a softer jelly like centre. When the outer surface becomes ruptured, the jelly like substance pushes into the spinal canal and reduces the space for the nerves, which exit the spine.
These nerves then become irritated and inflamed, which can cause pain anywhere along the path of the effected nerves, and in many cases cause a symptom called Sciatica.
So Your Lower Back Hurts?
Low back pain is one of the most common ailments people suffer from and approximately 8 out of 10 people will deal with back pain at some point in their life.
That’s a lot of people… are you one of them? Out of all of the various forms of back pain, lower back pain is by far the most common and there’s a good explanation for this. Any idea why? It’s not car accidents, it’s not work-related injuries, and it’s not a lack of prescription medications either.
Lack of movement and use is the number one cause of back pain! I bet your orthopedic specialist or chiropractor didn’t tell you that, did they? It’s the lack of movement in various muscles over years that leads to muscle imbalances and uneven wear and tear on your body, especially the spine.
For example, how many times a day are you bending, leaning, or twisting. Here’s what the typical person’s day is like: – Wake up – Eat breakfast (hopefully) – Drive or ride to work – Sit at desk – Eat lunch – Sit at desk some more – Drive or ride home – Eat dinner – Sit on couch and watch tv – Go to bed Notice the trend here?
That’s an awful lot of sitting and not moving. Well, this is what leads to serious muscle imbalances and so what do we do, we go to the gym and perform exercises that only make the imbalances worse!
The key to eliminating back pain (nearly any ache, pain, or injury for that matter) is to identify the muscle imbalances that are pulling the spine, bones, and joints out of place and then stretch the tight muscles while strengthening the weak muscles. How do I know this? Well, as certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehabilitation specialist, I have worked with hundreds of individuals with back pain and the conditions that ranged from sciatic pain, to bulging discs, to spinal fusion, and others.
In working with these individuals I discovered some startling facts
1. Many people who seek professional help are often mis-diagnosed and end up following a treatment plan that fails to eliminate the cause of their back pain.
2. Nearly all of the individuals I worked with were able to eliminate their back pain, or significantly improve their condition even though all of the traditional treatments failed them (physically therapy, chiropractic care, cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications, surgery, etc). Even more amazing is the fact that most of these individuals were able to eliminate their back pain in a matter or days or weeks simply by performing a handful of exercises and stretches! These weren’t your basic exercises or the standard back stretches and stomach exercises most “experts” recommend – these were specific exercises and stretches prescribed based on the individual. Many of these people had suffered for years and years with aches, pains, and stiffness and lived inactive lives because of their back pain.
3. Most treatment plans offered only address the symptoms and don’t address the cause, which usually delivers just temporary relief for the individual. In addition to helping hundreds of others eliminate back pain, I also have had personal experiences with back pain and other various conditions such as tendonitis, muscle strains and sprains, and more. In every single situation the traditional treatments did nothing but treat the symptoms (often times not successfully) and the only approach that gave lasting improvements and relief was targeted stretches and exercises.
Have you tried traditional treatments and found little relief for your back pain? I am not saying these treatments are not effective at temporarily reducing the pain or inflammation, but I am saying nearly all fail to get rid of the underlying cause of the problem. So how do you identify these muscle imbalances? Well, it isn’t easy but with a basic understanding of how your body works you can at least start looking at your situation and find out which muscles are over worked and too strong and/or tight and which ones are too weak and stretched out.
It also helps if you can find a qualified health professional who specializes in identifying muscle imbalances. Unfortunately, there are still few professionals who use what I call the “common sense approach.” However, your best bet is to look for a personal fitness trainer that is trained and certified in post-rehabilitation, a manual physical therapist, or an osteopath. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions… you need to take charge of your health care and be sure to quiz them to find out what type of an approach they take in treating back pain. I also recommend to you my video, “Lose the Back Pain” here: http://www.losethebackpain.com.
It’s shows you step-by-step, how to identify the true cause of your back pain and what specific exercises and stretches you need to do to correct it.
I wish you the best and remember the key to a healthy back is movement!
Article by Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com. Jesse is a certified personal fitness trainer and post-rehab specialist and he has helped hundreds of individuals get relif fromback pain. Visit his site now and be sure to sign up for his free email course on eliminating back pain.
Spinal Stenosis: Get The Relief You Deserve
Now the term Spinal Stenosis refers to the narrowing of the space between the spine and the spinal cord, which is called the spinal canal. It is in this space that the nerves that supply our legs and arms work from and when this area is narrowed the nerves become compressed and inflamed.
The symptoms of Spinal Stenosis are sometimes difficult to diagnose as these can be similar to other lower back pain complaints, especially that of Sciatica. The main difference being the majority of the pain with Spinal Stenosis will be felt in the top of the front your legs, whereas in Sciatica much of the pain is felt in the buttock. Both symptoms are accompanied by lower back pain.
Spinal Stenosis Symptoms
Spinal Stenosis is the name given to the narrowing of the spinal canal – a space between the spine and the spinal cord. There are several reasons why this narrowing can occur -:
One or more bulging or herniated discs protruding into the spinal canal Bands of tissue or ligaments that protect the spine can thicken as we age, reducing the space in the spinal canal. Bony spurs can project into the spinal canal, especially with arthritis sufferers. Bones and joints become enlarged, reducing the space in the spinal canal.
As the space in the spinal canal is reduced there is less space for the nerves – that control the muscle groups in your legs. These nerves can become inflamed and irritated. In fact Spinal Stenosis symptoms are very similar similar to that of Sciatica.
Massage Rollers
When lower back pain hits you, a massage and massage rollers can be very effective in relaxing the tensed muscles.
Massage is an ancient pain relieving technique and provides you relief from day-to-day stress, muscle cramps, while easing the back pain and headaches, by increasing blood circulation.
A massage also flushes out toxins and wastes from your body, thus lending a healthy shine to the skin. Effective Massage through Massage Rollers.
These days, an alternative way to providing your body with the much needed massage is through massage rollers. If you don’t have the time to go to a massage parlor or if you are staying alone, you can use a massage roller to give yourself instant relief.
