There are millions of people everyday who suffer from the pain of sciatica especially in the United States. Since it is such a common condition, the symptoms too are easy to recognize. In spite of knowing the symptoms and of treatments in place, the back pain of sciatica can very often be hard to bear, interfering with everyday life and work.
Well, in these cases, patients must first understand that sciatica is in fact a very generalized statement that groups a whole set of disorders, sometimes not even neurogenic (arising from nervous system issues) under one category: sciatica. Important to note are the areas of pain that afflict people with sciatica. These areas usually include the middle to lower back, but even more so in the thigh and pelvic area progressing down through the leg into the toes.
The symptoms of sciatica are generally very specific. The pain is acute, instead of chronic which means that the pain is sharp, stabbing and progresses quickly, originating from one place (usually the upper thigh and lower back) down to another (the toe). This pain affects the mobility of the patient and some patients may complain of the inability to walk or get up. Pain can also be felt in the buttocks area, but it is equally important to note that the symptoms in question are usually only valid on one side of the body, not both sides. Sometimes, there’s a numb sensation and there could also be pins and needles. When the patient sits in a prone or compromising position, there tends to be an increase in pain.
One must take note as to how severe the pain is and here, acute pain refers to a very sharp, stabbing pain. What is different from one sufferer to another is the degree of pain that one experiences. Some patients will claim the pain is so bad that they are just not able to go about their daily tasks, while others boast of their ability to go through the day with bearing the dull back pain. Besides the actual degree of pain suffered, what also comes into play is the pain tolerance of each person – some can bear more pain than others.
There are many ways that one can find out if they in fact have sciatica – such as the lower back pain test, as well as an EMG test. If you feel like you are exhibiting some of these symptoms, it’s generally very important to consult a doctor as soon as possible, as this disorder only gets worse with time. The doctor, when consulted, will do some probing and changing of positions, but specifically will ask you a series of questions regarding the pain. Again, it will be important to note that the pain is only on one side (a characteristic of sciatica) as well as taking care to note if the pain gets better or worse, or even different, when the patient walks, jumps, stands and sits. A few indicators of sciatica may be when the patient is asked to lift or push materials, which in this case will trigger the warning signs of a herniated disc, or stenosis.