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Do you know what sciatica is? It refers to nerve pain in the leg. So, any irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve can trigger the pain. So, sciatica emerges from the lower spine, radiates deep into the buttock region, and moves down the legs. You might also experience deadness or weakness in your spinal or leg muscles.

Why Does Sciatica Occur?

Sciatica usually occurs when you have a herniated spinal disc, osteophyte (bone spur on the backbone), or spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication (constriction of the spinal cord). Sometimes, tumors or nerve damage (due to diabetes) can also trigger symptoms. These conditions compress the spinal nerves and trigger swelling, pain, inflammation, and numbness in the problematic leg.

Though sciatica pain can be intense, doctors usually treat it through non-operative treatments. If you are worried about how long sciatica lasts, then you must know it will take a few weeks to vanish. However, if you suffer from severe sciatica that causes significant leg weakness or loss of bladder or bowel movements, then you might be concerned about how to cure sciatica permanently. Talk to your pain specialist in Dallas as he might consider surgery.

What are the Symptoms?

So, when you feel pain radiating down from your lower spine, you know you have sciatica. So, you will feel discomfort in every part of your nerve passageway. So, the pain travels through your lower spine to the buttock and then back to your thigh and calf muscle.

However, sciatica pain can significantly vary, from a slight ache to intense pain, accompanied by a burning sensation. Sometimes, you might feel a jolt or electric shock. And it can worsen when you cough or sneeze or sit for long times. Usually, it affects a single side of the body.

Some people might experience numbness, stinging, and muscle weakness in the problematic leg. So, you might feel pain in one limb and numbness in the other part.

What are the Risk Factors?

Age: As you age, you are likely to experience age-related variations in the spinal cord. Some examples include herniated disc and osteophytes (or bone spurs on your backbone).

Overweight: As you increase the stress on your spinal cord, your excess body weight can accelerate spinal variations that may initiate sciatica. The more weight you have the more pressure is on your back muscles in working this can lead to dorsalgia (back pain) and other back issues.

Profession: If your job involves tasks like heavy weight lifting that lead to twisting of your backbone or driving motorbikes for prolonged periods, it can significantly contribute to constipation and back pain. And, it may lead to sciatica. However, there is no primary evidence.

Long Time Sitting:If you sit for prolonged hours or have an inactive lifestyle, you have greater chances of developing sciatica than those with an active lifestyle.

Diabetes:If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels are likely to fluctuate. Hence, it can elevate the risk of nerve damage.

What are the Complications?

Though, a majority of people are likely to recover from sciatica, usually without any treatment fully. Sciatica has the potential to cause permanent nerve damage. So, you should seek immediate medical attention if you feel:

• Loss of sensation in the affected limb

• Muscle weakness of the affected limb

• Loss of bladder or bowel control

How To Prevent?

If you want to know, does sciatica go away? Then, you must understand that preventing sciatica is not always possible, and the condition is likely to persist. However, if you follow the tips (enlisted below), you can effectively prevent this condition:

• Regular Workout

If you want to keep your spine strong, you should specifically focus on your core muscles. The core muscles in your belly and lower spine are necessary for proper posture and alignment. So, you must discuss with your pain doctor in Dallas the most effective activities.

• Maintain Proper Posture

You should use the best office chair for sciatica that correctly supports your lower spine, armrests, and spin base. You might also place a pillow or rolled cloth in your backbone to maintain the standard spinal curve. Also, you should try to preserve your knees and hip levels.

• Opt For Appropriate Body Mechanics

If you are required to stand for prolonged periods, you should rest one foot on a surface from time to time. So, when you lift something bulky, allow your lower extremities to do the task. You should retain the load near your body and avoid lifting and twisting at the same time. Always seek help if the object is too heavy and beyond your capacity to lift.

Why Do Pregnant Women Get Sciatica?

It is a fact that sciatica pain pregnancy is quite common in pregnant women. However, the majority think that the increased weight is the main reason. Some even wonder if a massage helps a pinched nerve. In actuality, this is not true. The absolute truth is that certain pregnancy hormones loosen the ligaments. Your ligaments hold your spine together, safeguard the discs and keep the backbone stable. So, sciatica massage can be quite helpful.

However, loosened ligaments can make your spine unstable and lead to slipping of the discs causing nerve pinching and sciatica. Moreover, your child’s weight and position can place more pressure on the spinal nerves.

If you are worried about why my sciatica is not going away, you should be happy to know that several effective ways ease the sciatica discomfort during pregnancy. Also, the pain vanishes after you give birth.

According to experts, physical therapy, massage therapy, heat therapy, warm baths, and medicines can effectively treat sciatica. So, if you are pregnant, you should try to maintain the proper posture as it will help with your pain.