Sciatica
Conditions and Responses HomeIs usually caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve in the lumber spine area. The sciatic nerve is the largest single nerve in the body and runs from the lumber part of the spinl cord spreading out into the buttoks, down the legs and into the feet. That said the paain is usually down on side only and can be as a result of a slight pelvic misalingement which is far more common than we think. These imbalances can be caused by hip or knee problems or surgery, acedents, falls, sporting injuries or just plain lifting or twisting awkwardly
The most common cause of true sciatica is a "slipped disc". The
discs (or inter-vertebral discs) are the cushions which separate the
bones of the spine (vertebrae). Your doctor may refer to a slipped disc
as a prolapsed intervertebral disc (PID) or a herniated nucleus
pulposus.
The intervertebral disc looks a bit like a draughts/checkers piece in
shape. The ring around the outside is tough and fibrous, and the centre
is rather more like the consistency of a chewy sweet. These discs allow
for some flexibility between the bones of the spine, and also act as
shock absorbers.
The pressures within the discs can reach high levels when we bend or
twist, even without carrying a heavy load. If we add to that a heavy
load, especially held out at arms' length, the pressures rise even
higher.
If part of the fibrous outer ring of the disc is rather weaker than the
rest, the softer centre (nucleus pulposus) may push its way through,
bulging outwards. If this bulge presses against a nerve which is running
from the main, central nervous system to one of the legs, it causes
symptoms in that leg.
Sciatica occurs when the herniated disc presses against the nerves which
go to make up the sciatic nerve. This is more likely to cause problems
when the nerve is squashed by this, usually between the disc and an
adjacent bone.
Nerves have many functions, transmitting messages around the body,
rather like a telephone system. They allow us to feel things that happen
to us, such as things we touch or that touch us, hot and cold, and pain,
and they cause our body to do things, e.g. making your leg muscles
contract when you want to walk. Thus, when a nerve is squashed, it may
malfunction, and we might feel pain, numbness, pins and needles, and we
might find our limbs do not work in the way they should.
Other things can cause irritation of or pressure on a nerve in the
spine. Sometimes this may be a rough and enlarged part of one of the
vertebrae, brought about by ageing, and sometimes rarer conditions,
infections and tumours are to blame. Most times the cause is nothing too
serious, but one of the reasons for seeing your doctor if the pain
persists, is to make sure that serious and treatable causes have been
ruled out.
Symptoms of Sciatica
- Pain in the rear or leg that is worse when sitting
- Burning or tingling down the leg
- Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot
- A constant pain on one side of the rear
- A shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up
- Low back pain may be present along with the leg pain, but usually the low back pain is less severe than the leg pain
Bowen Therapy and the treatment of Sciatica
The Bowen Technique works to relax tense muscles therefore allowing the body to rebalance. There is a specific procedure to
realign the pelvic area which in turn will release pinched and inflamed nerve pathways.
The procedures are gentle yet effective when used with other body relaxing
Bowen Technique work.
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