Sciatic Nerve Leg Pain and How to Treat It

spinal stenosis

Sciatic nerve leg pain is caused when the sciatic nerves in your body become pinched or inflamed. These nerves, which run from your lower spine down through your legs to your feet, are susceptible to a wide variety of sensations and when people talk about problems in this area, these problems might range from a light tingle, to a persistent burning sensation to a wholly unbearable shooting pain. This can be a very difficult issue to live with, and there are many treatments that you might try when you are trying to deal with sciatica nerve pain.

One way that many people end up treating the pain is through the application of heat. Do keep in mind, thought, that if you are using heat to ease the pain that you should limit it to warm baths and cloths dipped in warm water and wrung out. Do not use heating pads while the nerve is inflamed; there is a chance that the heat will simply induce swelling, which will make the swelling in the area worse. Doctors will also suggest an ice pack placed directly on the lower back. While it will reduce swelling, the cold can be very difficult to bear on an area that is already very sensitive!

When dealing with sciatic nerve leg pain, many doctors will also prescribe you muscle relaxers, but be very wary of taking these. Not only are these medications powerful and expensive, they can also prove to be addictive. Not only are the medications themselves addictive, the instant relief from pain can be very seductive, which can be problematic when you are trying to switch to another solution. Take some time and really consider what your options are going to be when you are thinking about taking this medication. Prescription strength muscle relaxers can be habit forming, and it is fairly easy to develop a tolerance, where they are less effective even when taken with the same dosage.

If the sciatic pain becomes too intense or too debilitating, a last resort is surgery. The issue with surgery is that most patients do not respond very well to it, and there are only a limited amount of situations where it is even considered. Surgery for sciatica is usually only considered when spinal stenosis is an issue, where neurological dysfunction is suspected or where bowel and bladder function is impaired. Surgery for sciatica is considered very serious as not only is it expensive, it also involves a convoluted recovery time.