The Warning Signs of Sciatica
By Sara Butler
Back pain can be a tricky thing to figure out. After all, the body and the spine are complicated structures and any number of things can lead to pain and discomfort. Sciatica symptoms can be caused by an injury, nerve problems or spinal disc issues. Someone as educated and experienced as your chiropractor at The Joint can help you to try to determine where the pain is originating and figure out what to do about it. Sciatica is a very common cause of back pain and there are some common symptoms to help clue you into this issue as the root cause of what is ailing you. Here are some of the most common warning signs of sciatica that you can use to see if this just might be the cause of your back pain.
Warning Sign No. 1: Pain from the Lower Back Down the Back of the Leg
Pain is the main symptom of sciatica and if you have it you’ll more than likely feel discomfort and pain that starts in your back, usually the lower back, and spreads out across one of your buttocks and down the backside of one of your legs, possibly into your foot. Your sciatic nerve runs down the back of both of your legs, but rarely is pain felt on both sides; it’s usually just on one side or the other.
So what does the pain feel like? It can be a shooting pain that comes and goes or it can be a constant dull pain. If you’re really unlucky it can even be a constant shooting pain, it all depends on how severe the problem causing the sciatica is.
Often sitting down and bending over feels worse than standing, and sudden movement such as sneezing or coughing can make the pain worse too.
Warning Sign No. 2: Weakness in Foot or Leg
If the issue causing your sciatic pain is severe enough, you can experience weakness or numbness in your leg or foot. You can also have problems lifting your foot as you walk, and that means you have to take extra care not to fall when you’re walking around.
Warning Sign No. 3: Burning and/or Tingling in the Legs
You may also feel a tingling or burning sensation in the leg being affected. This means something is causing interference with your sciatic nerve. If you ever experience any complete loss of function or sensation or you lose the ability to control your bladder and bowels, you need to seek immediate medical attention due to a rare condition in the nerves at the bottom of your spine.
If you’re concerned you may have sciatica, talk to your chiropractor about it today! Remember, at The Joint Chiropractic, you never need an appointment, so just come on in!