Sciatic nerve inflammation: causes, symptoms and treatment

The inflammatory process in the sciatic nerve is a defensive reaction of the body to an irritant, which manifests itself in the form of pain. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body, it is very sensitive, and therefore inflamed more often than others. The main function of the sciatic nerve is to be responsible for the motor activity of the lower extremities. About why inflammation can occur, how it is expressed in symptoms and what to do, we will tell you in this article.

Causes of sciatic nerve inflammation

There are very, very many reasons that can provoke inflammation of the sciatic nerve, so only a qualified specialist can determine the specific reason why the disease has started. It should also be said that inflammation of the sciatic nerve can occur as a symptomatology, in response to another disease. Those. the problem is not in this organ, but in another.

We list the main causes of the inflammatory process in the sciatic nerve.

• Prolonged exposure to cold winds, including drafts. Paradoxically, but often the ailment associated with the sciatic nerve occurs just in the warm season.
• Regular infectious diseases.
• Herpes family infections.
• Careless sudden movement.
• Osteochondrosis.
• Gout.
• Muscle and bone injuries in the sciatic nerve.
• Spondylosis.
• Stenosis.
• All types of tumors.
• Diabetes.
• Sometimes pregnancy can be the reason for the onset of the disease, since the enlarging uterus can put pressure on the nerve and provoke pain. The baby's movements can also be directed towards the nerve.
• Thrombosis.
• Poisoning with toxic substances.

Sciatic nerve inflammation symptoms

It is simply impossible not to notice the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, since it is impossible not to pay attention to such pain. You need to be wary in a situation when:

• The problem arises in a simple bend-unbend movement. It is impossible to bend forward without pain, and with an additional tilt, the pain sensations only increase.
• The direction of pain is directed from top to bottom, affecting the buttocks, lower back, thighs and lower leg.
• The appearance of pain in the buttock and behind the lower limb. Often the pain is bilateral in nature, and the intensity is greater where the inflammation itself occurs directly.
• Trying to turn around results in more severe pain.
• In some cases, the inflammatory process can be accompanied by acts of defecation and urine output, which happens involuntarily.
• It is almost impossible to stand on the limb in which the inflammatory process occurs.
• Sometimes the process of an increase in body temperature is noted, but not higher than 38 ° C. This symptom is due to muscle pain and spasms. The temperature can rise both throughout the body and pointwise.
• Physical exercise becomes problematic.
• In the area of ​​the inflamed nerve, the skin swells and turns red.
• In some situations, a person may experience a feeling of muscle atrophy or weakening.

The clinical picture with this disease has a pronounced character, therefore, when a specialist is approached with similar symptoms, he initially begins to suspect the sciatic nerve of pain and conducts appropriate diagnostics.

A separate line should touch upon the nature of the pain that occurs with inflammation of the sciatic nerve. It can be different: shooting, aching, burning, pulling. However, it is almost always paroxysmal. This means that periods of severe and simply unbearable pain are replaced by relative calm, but for a short time. A distinctive feature of pain is that a person can feel its path and direction: everything starts from the lower back, and then moves down and can even reach the fingertips.

If pain appears in two lower limbs at once, then with a high degree of probability we can talk about bilateral neuralgia. Needless to say, this situation is the most painful for the patient, but in practice, such an ailment is rarely recorded. Often, the second "healthy" leg experiences milder symptoms in the form of a tingling sensation, slight numbness and goose bumps.

Severe cases of such neuralgia can paralyze the patient and he becomes unable to move, and any attempt to do so leads to unbearable pain and excruciating spasm. Standing, turning, bending - all this becomes incomprehensible. If treatment is not started on time, neuralgia can become chronic. Then all the symptoms will remain for life.

Treatment of sciatic nerve inflammation

First of all, the specialist will attempt to relieve pain and stop the inflammation process; for this purpose, the patient is prescribed appropriate drugs. As soon as the pain subsides, the process of treating the cause that led to the inflammation of the nerve begins.

Physiotherapy techniques are often used in the work. However, if the causative agent is an infection, then methods are taken to combat it, and the patient is prescribed a course of treatment with antibiotics and antiviral drugs. If you become a provocateur of sciatic nerve inflammation hernia, then you cannot do without the intervention of a surgeon. In case of pain in the sciatic nerve, you should contact a neurologist or neuropathologist.

In any case, in order not to be the cause of the inflammatory process, a person must be provided with rest and bed rest until the moment of complete recovery.