Sciatica is a common condition that causes pain. It causes pain in your lower back and buttocks. It is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, which runs through the bottom of your spine. Sciatic nerve pain can be very severe, making everyday activities like walking and sitting difficult or even impossible. The pain may also radiate down your leg, foot, or toes. Dr. Hui Kang Houston provides sciatica treatments and manages the pain that comes with it.
The causes of sciatica vary, but some leading causes include:
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a condition that involves inflammation of the plantar fascia that runs along the bottom of your foot. It can occur with other injuries or illnesses that cause inflammation at different times or places on your body. Plantar fasciitis can occur after walking on hard surfaces for long periods, especially if you have diabetes. It can also happen after sitting for long periods or sleeping on hard surfaces especially if you have diabetes.
Cervical spondylosis
This condition causes pain along the spine, which may radiate down toward your buttocks or legs, particularly when you stand up while sleeping or sitting upright for long periods, such as during work. It may also occur when you bend over, holding your knees close together while sleeping at night or while sitting at a desk all day long. The condition can sometimes be accompanied by other symptoms, such as leg numbness and tingling in the feet and poorer mobility in the hands and fingers.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition that affects the entire gastrointestinal tract and has symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. If you have IBS, you may experience pain in your hips while walking or sitting for long periods. Your doctor can diagnose this condition after ruling out other underlying conditions such as celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Sciatic nerve entrapment
Entrapment is another common cause of sciatica symptoms because it occurs when the nerves are squeezed between two bones at a joint known as entrapment. You may have heard of this condition from the term “nerve impingement syndrome,” but this term does not fully explain how entrapment occurs. It is more complicated than that. The nerves can become inflamed and painful due to pressure from swelling or scar tissue building up around them.
Spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis, also known as narrowing of the spinal canal, occurs when there is an abnormal thickening of one or more vertebrae due to osteoarthritis or other conditions, such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, commonly referred to as a hockey player’s injury. The resulting pressure on nerves can lead to pain that radiates down one side of the body with numbness and tingling in some areas.
Vertebral fracture
It is a fracture that can occur between the neck and tailbone area. It is a sudden pain that shoots down your leg on sitting down or lying down, especially in case of severe trauma. It is also called cauda equina or neuralgia cauda equine.
Sciatica is a common condition affecting the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that runs from your spinal cord to your buttocks. Sciatica symptoms include pain, numbness, and tingling in the lower back and buttocks. If you experience these symptoms contact Hui Kang, MD today for a diagnosis to inform the right treatment plan.