Sciatica Causes
Sciatic pain or sciatica might be caused owing to a wide array of lumbar spine or low back disorders. Generally, sciatica means gentle to severe pain, which can be sensed in the lower ends of the body. In certain cases, the pain might spread to the buttocks, hips, legs and feet. The root cause of this pain is swollen nerves, which is caused when the lower back suffers from excessive strain or stress, infuriating the nerves inside. Medication for sciatica normally is determined by the cause. It is very important to detect the underlying conditions prior to starting with any kind of treatment. The most common causes for sciatica are briefly mentioned below.
Common Sciatica Causes
Herniated Disc or Lumbar Bulging
Herniated disc is considered to be one of the most prominent and widespread sciatica causes. Herniated disc also referred to as lumbar bulging, is in reality a restricted disc disorder. Under such conditions, the nucleus pulposus, which is a gel-like substance, present at middle of the disc gets caught in the external wall causing lower back problems. This type of condition is triggered by the cracking down of nucleus into annulus. As the disc substance has a tendency to squash the adjoining nerve roots, it can lead to sciatica.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is also known to cause sciatica. Spinal stenosis is a syndrome in which the nerves in the body get compressed. Commonly, this kind of ailment affects elderly individuals, hence with increase in age a person is more likely to get affected by this condition. Lumbar spinal stenosis is also capable of causing severe leg pain. The pain often tends to aggravate when the patient tries to stand or walk. Resting or relaxing can help to reduce the pain only temporarily.
Other Sciatica Causes
Spondylolisthesis
Another key cause of sciatica is spondylolisthesis. It is a kind of syndrome, which particularly aims for the lumbar spine. When an individual suffers from spondylolisthesis, a section of his vertebra slides frontward and rests on the nearby vertebra. As soon as a portion of the vertebra slides and moves away from its original place, the root of the spinal nerve gets compressed. This leads to swelling and finally acute pain. Spondylolisthesis mostly happens during the growing phases of a kid. Such a condition can also be caused due to physical strain or trauma.
Trauma
Sciatica can also be caused due to trauma, which can be triggered from a wide range of things. As a matter of fact trauma indicates the pressure exerted on the sciatic nerve because of some form of external influence. For example, if an individual encounters a vehicular collision, the effect of that collision on his lower body can result in trauma, which eventually can lead to inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis syndrome is another common cause for sciatica. This syndrome is caused owing to the straining of muscles, which exerts considerable amount of pressure on the nerve.
Sciatic pain or sciatica might also be caused due to other reasons. However, the causes mentioned above are considered to be the most widespread of all.