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Stuff About Sciatica...

Saturday, 21 December 2013 00:10

By Jordan Metzl, MD (triathlon.competitor.com)

The Symptoms
Lower-back pain and shooting pain down the back of one or both legs, sometimes to the toes. It may worsen with sitting or bending forward. With piriformis-based sciatic problems, the pain hits the lower back and/or buttocks, sometimes feeling as if it’s deep inside the buttock muscles. It may be too painful to sit on the affected side. The pain and/or tingling can radiate down the back of the upper leg as well.

What’s Going On In There?
Sciatic pain comes from irritation of the sciatic nerve, a thick, ropelike nerve comprising several nerve roots in the lumbar (lower) spine that merge into one. Technically, sciatic pain is caused by irritation of this nerve after the nerve roots join together. Sciatic pain can come from two very different sources: the spine and the hip. Nerve roots, which are small....

branches of the spinal cord that exit at each level of the vertebrae and divide into smaller branches, are often pinched by a bulging or herniated disk in the spine. The nerve is compressed and pain, often excruciating, results.

Piriformis, or hip, sciatic pain comes from a spot deep within each hip where the piriformis muscle, a hip flexor, crosses over the sciatic nerve. If the muscle is tight or spasms, it can pinch or compress the nerve, causing pain, especially when you’re sitting on the affected side (this type of sciatic pain usually hits only one hip). The pain generally doesn’t shoot far down the upper leg. READ MORE