PINCHED NERVE

Sciatica

A pinched nerve, or sciatica, is not so much a condition, but a symptom. Sciatica is pain felt beginning in the hip and buttocks, and continuing down the length of the leg. Sciatica is believed to be caused by pain in the sciatic nerve, which travels from the lower back and down the leg. Sciatica pain can be quite disruptive to people in their everyday lives. Sports, heavy labor and recreational activities can cause this pain.

True “sciatica” occurs when a herniated disc in the spine compresses and pinches one of the roots of the sciatic nerve. A herniated disc is an abnormality of the intervertebral disc, also known as a bulging, ruptured or torn disc. This is commonly referred to as a pinched nerve.

Pinched Nerve Diagnosis

Sciatica is diagnosed through a medical and physical examination performed by a doctor. It may often accompany x-rays or an MRI, depending on the severity of a patient’s symptoms. This allows your doctor a clearer picture of where the pain is coming from, and helps with creating a treatment plan. Sciatica can be treated in a number of ways, with the most common being pain relievers, muscle relaxers and some kind of conditioning or stretching exercises being added. For more severe cases, sciatica sufferers are treated with cortisone, either orally or by local injection. If there is spinal compression, then sciatica will be treated with surgery.

Radiculopathy

Radiculopathy describes pain or other symptoms like tingling, numbness and weakness in the arms or legs caused by a problem with nerve roots. It is often caused by compression of a nerve as it is exiting the spinal column. Typically, patients find that their radiculopathy responds well to treatments like medication, chiropractic visits, or physical therapy. If a patient’s pain doesn’t respond within 6 weeks to 3 months, other treatment options like steroid epidural injections or surgery may be required.

Radiculopathy Diagnosis

Radiculopathy can be difficult to diagnose, because there are different kinds that a patient could be suffering from, depending on where the pain is located. Lumbar radiculopathy refers to pain that radiates from a lower region, like the back, and is also known as sciatica. Thoracic radiculopathy involves pain that radiates from around the middle of the chest, all the way around to the chest. To diagnose radiculopathy, a physician will give a patient a physical examination, which may also include taking X-rays, as well as an MRI. If there is trauma around the area where the pain is, a doctor may be able to identify it in an X-ray.

Once radiculopathy has been diagnosed, it’s easier to treat. Many people find that after diagnosis and conservative treatment, they experience moderate pain relief. Though there is no way to prevent radiculopathy, it can be kept in check by keeping up with a healthy diet and exercise plan.