Dr. Karthik

Pain radiating from the lower back in lower limb up to the toe is known as sciatica. In this condition, a nerve called sciatic is effected and pain occurs in the same nerve- this is the reason, why it is known as sciatica. So to be precise- pain effecting the sciatic nerve is known as Sciatica.

Common symptoms of sciatica include:sciatica-treatment

• Pain in the back side of leg which will worsen once you sit or stretch the nerve by any movement
• Pain might be in form of tingling sensation, burning anywhere in the supply region of the sciatic nerve
• You might feel weakness in your leg
• A sensation of numbness or just difficulty in making any movement
• A cutting/tearing pain on rear side
• A pain which can make it difficult to walk or stand for moments

Causes of Sciatica:

Sciatic nerve originates from Lumbo-Sacral vertebrae. Nerves coming out of these vertebrae unite together and make a nerve- Sciatic. This nerve travels to the foot all the way so from lower back up to any place there might be some problem. Here are main causes of sciatica.

1. Slipped Disc:
When due to problems with the muscles of the spine, a disc bulges to a side and starts pressing the nerve root, involved with the sciatic nerve, this irritates the nerve and sensation of – pain/numbness/tingling starts occurring in the whole nerve. This kind of sciatic pain can only be relieved when the pressure on the nerve root is removed by proper adjustment of the disc.

2. Lumbar Spinal Stenosis:
This is the condition of hardening of the spinal canal- this is a condition which follows the lumbar spondyolitis ion general.

3. Degenerative Disc Disorder:
This is the condition where inter-vertebral disc starts degenerating due to some pathology and this starts effecting the nerve roots and pain starts travelling down to the leg.

4. Piriformis Syndrome:
This is a controversial cause of sciatica. When there is no definitive cause for the problem- all the discs are in their place, there is not a problem with the spine- this is considered that pain is due to the stiffness in the piriformis muscle. This might be a confusing diagnosis but certainly, in practice, we have seen many patients came with severe pain but there was nothing wrong with their spine or vertebral column.

5. Pregnancy:
The pull by baby-bump can stretch the nerve and can cause the sciatica problem to you, which will go away in most of the cases after pregnancy. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ayurveda.

Human bones are continuously being removed and formed, which is necessary for its proper maintenance. However, in certain cases, especially with aging, some bones and joints will be worn down to an extent where the body will not be able to reform them. This is especially true in the case of hips, which may become worn due to age or other problems within the body. 

Hip replacement surgery: 
When this happens, a hip replacement surgery can be performed to replace the original joints with a prosthesis or artificial hip, which is usually made out of metal or a specially formed composite material or even a combination of the two. Along with other parts, it replaces the natural hip with an artificial hip to restore mobility and other related functions.

Benefits of hip replacement surgery:

1. Lessening hip pain: This is one of the major factors as well as symptoms of requiring hip replacement surgery. Due to the grinding down of the bones, even the slightest movement causes pain and after the surgery and the recovery period, the pain is lessened.
2. Correction of bone deformity: When the bones grind down and are abnormally reformed, deformities may occur reducing mobility. Artificial hips will ensure that deformities are corrected and resulting problems are thus eliminated.
3. Return to normal activities: This is possibly one of the primary advantages of this surgery, although it entails a long recovery period. However, most patients can get back to their normal activities and are able to resume a pain free life.
4. Ability to have painless sleep: Many people who suffer from hip displacements or bone deformities are not able to sleep properly due to pain. After the surgery and the recovery period, they can return to normal functions and habits, thus are able to sleep properly.
5. Leg strength increase: Many patients tend to have an increase in their leg strength as one side of the hip tends to become very weak due to bone problems before surgery. After surgery and recovery, the same side tends to have an increased strength due to the implant.
6. In most cases a lifelong solution to hip problems: As the hip replacement prosthesis is made out of metal and if the operation is successful, it usually tends to last till the end of a person's life and this area usually doesn't tend to have problems again.

Related Tip: "5 Common Causes of Hip Pain in Women"