What is Sciatica?
The diagnosis of 'sciatica' means that there is inflammation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve supplies information about movements to the leg, and sends information about sensations back to the brain. The sciatic nerve is quite large, in fact, it is the largest peripheral nerve in the body.
The sciatic nerve is formed from the lower segments of the spinal cord; it is made up from the lumbar and sacral nerve roots from the spine. The sciatic nerve exits the lower part of the spinal cord (lumbosacral region), passes behind the hip joint, and runs down the back of the thigh.
How does this nerve normally function?
The sciatic nerve, like most other nerves, performs two basic functions: first, it sends signals to your muscles from the brain; and second, it collects sensory information from the legs and passes this back to your brain. Conditions such as sciatica that affect the nerve will alter these normal functions. This usually manifests as either weakness of these leg muscles, pain in the legs and thighs, or both.
What happens to cause sciatica?
The most common cause of sciatica is a herniated spinal disc. When this happens, the normal cushion between the vertebra of your spine ruptures. This causes the disc to push out into areas normally occupied by these nerves. The nerves are compressed and people then experience the symptoms of pain, weakness, and numbness. Other conditions, such as spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, or piriformis syndrome can also cause cause sciatica symptoms by irritating the nerve.
What are the signs and symptoms of sciatica?
As stated above, sciatica can cause both sensory and muscular abnormalities in the legs and thighs. Common symptoms of sciatica include:
A cramping sensation of the thigh
Shooting pains from the buttock, down the leg
Tingling, or pins-and-needles sensations in the legs and thighs
A burning sensation in the thigh
In addition, patients with sciatica may notice a worsening of their symptoms with maneuvers such as squatting or coughing. These maneuvers can increase pressure around the nerve and magnify the symptoms of sciatica.
Who is prone to developing symptoms of sciatica?
Sciatica can affect just about anyone, but it is extremely uncommon in young patients. Sciatica typically affects 30 to 50 year old patients. Often there is a sudden onset that may be attributed to over-exertion or a back injury.
What do I need to do for sciatica?
Most importantly, you need to find out if sciatica is the cause of your symptoms. Your doctor will take a thorough history, perform a physical exam, and test several specific functions of the nerve. Several other conditions may cause hip and thigh pain, and need to be considered. It is important to determine the correct cause of your symptoms prior to beginning treatment of sciatica. Other tests, including X-Rays or possibly an MRI may be helpful, but they may not needed.
Leeches treatment for sciatica
Leech therapy is extremely beneficial in the treating process of sciatica due to enzymes found in leech saliva, which are known to reduce pain, inflammation and dissolving blood clots.
Enzymes found in leech saliva dilate vessels and work together with other enzymes to flush out toxins and promote healthy circulation to accelerate the healing process, as well as containing antibacterial enzymes that help prevent and eliminate the production of bacteria.
Leech therapy diminishes inflammation, swelling and pain of an injured area, leading to an accelerated normal function.
During therapy, leeches also inject an anesthetic enzyme which deadens the pain, as well as an antibacterial enzyme, which destroys the bacteria present, preventing further infection of the site, all of which work together to speed up the treating process of sciatica.
Duration of leech therapy is dependent upon the severity of this sickness. Likewise, the frequency of the sessions and the number of leeches used in the treatment also vary per individual.