The characteristics of sciatic pain may vary from patient to patient. Some may complain of pain when sitting down or walking while some may be completely impaired due to constant discomfort. Even though the condition can be crippling to the patient, it hardly causes irreversible nerve destruction. Moreover, it commonly affects only one limb at a time.
The mainstay of managing sciatic pain is either through surgery or drugs depending on duration, severity of symptoms and the underlying medical condition. One of the most common situations in which surgery is mandatory is lumbar disc herniation. This simply indicates that one of the vertebra anchors in the lower region of the back is no in its normal position and instead it is compressing adjacent nerves causing pain.
Pain relievers can be used as supportive management and in cases where the pain is not severe. This include over the counter drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen among others. Aspirin is however contraindicated in children below eighteen years of age as it may cause complications. Muscle relaxants may be used to reduce spasms. Medications prescribed by a physician can be used if the pain is debilitating.
The services of a physical therapist may come in handy in the management of sciatic neuritis. As ironical as it is, bed rest is not indicated at as part of the main treatment. It had been shown that certain physical movements help a lot in preventing the pain from recurring. Exercises may vary depending on underlying cause.
An alternative to the mainstay treatment include acupuncture. This has however not been scientifically proven to be effective. Acupuncture involves applying pressure on certain areas of the body using a number of small needle punctures with the intention of creating appropriate balance in the whole body. A complementary method engages the use of a machine connected to the human body to obtain information that can be used to recondition the body into working properly.
The prognosis of patients with sciatica varies from excellent to experiencing symptoms for a long period of time. This mainly depends on the underlying condition and duration of sciatica. It may be prevented by avoiding certain risk factors such as injury to the lower region of the back.
In a nutshell, approach to treatment of sciatica is diverse depending on various factors as already discussed. Also, it is only through knowing the symptomatology that effective management can be engaged. Therefore it is important to involve a medical practitioner to know the underlying cause and the outlook and tailored treatment since some medication can pose serious side effects when used inappropriately.
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