News and Articles on Health

Pathophysiology and Effect of Therapy

The pathophysiology of chronic low back pain is poorly understood, but is increasingly recognized as complex and multifactorial. Progress in elucidating mechanisms has been impeded by difficulties in defining suitable animal models that are clearly relevant to the human disorder and in conducting informative physiological studies of chronic pain in humans.

Some of the above-mentioned structural abnormalities of the spine are well established as causes of low back pain. Other abnormalities do not correlate well with clinical symptoms.6 Findings such as disk herniation and facet-joint degeneration, when associated with central spinal stenosis or nerve-root impingement, have been correlated with low back pain, most often in association with sciatica or neurologic deficits. However, there is a high prevalence of such spinal abnormalities in asymptomatic persons, and such findings are poor predictors of back pain in longitudinal studies. Muscular and soft-tissue abnormalities have also been described, but their role in low back pain remains uncertain.

More recent investigations focus on alterations in the central nervous system, detected with various imaging methods, that are associated with chronic low back pain. Studies using functional MRI have shown alterations in cerebral activation, and anatomical studies have shown changes in regional volume and density in the brain. It has been suggested that these alterations may reflect or contribute to changes in central nervous system processing of sensory stimuli. However, the specific findings of these studies have not been entirely consistent with one another, and it is not clear whether the observed alterations are a cause or a consequence of chronic low back pain.

In addition, psychological and behavioral factors, including fear of movement, appear to play an important role in patients with chronic low back pain. Such patients have been shown to have altered brain-activation patterns at subcortical and cortical sites associated with emotion and postural control.25-28 Studies comparing psychosocial variables with anatomical findings have shown the former to have greater predictive value than the latter.

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It originates in the lower back, running down through the hip area and down the back of the leg. When this nerve gets irritated the condition is known as Sciatica. This is usually caused by pressure around the sciatic nerve or around where the nerve root begins. Severe pain can result from this condition with typical pain occurring from the lower back, through the buttocks area and down the back of the leg. Usually only one side is affected. Other symptoms could include muscle weakness, numbness and tingling with movement problems.

There are some common risk factors that are associated with Sciatica. These include sitting in the same position for long periods of time, frequent heavy lifting or twisting the back often or having to move the body excessively for long periods of time. Diabetics are sometimes prone to Sciatica because of the nervous system damage that is associated with diabetes. Also the normal aging process can be a factor since the spinal cord tends to become weaker as we age.

There are many treatments that people have tried for sciatica pain. Some of these include Acupuncture, pain medication, anti-inflammatories, yoga, Chiropractic procedures, stretching exercises and surgery. Many of these methods can be risky causing more health problems than before the treatments were started. Many pain medications are additive and have side effects. Surgery also comes with risks as do all surgical procedures. Surgery is usually done as a last resort when all other treatments have been exhausted without results.

In today’s society natural treatments are becoming popular due to less health risk and people are discovering that these kind of treatments really do work without having to take strong medications or have risky surgery. One of the natural sciatic nerve pain relief treatments that have been studied with good results is consuming a diet rich in potassium. This would include foods such as banana and potatoes.

Another natural treatment is hydrotherapy. Doctors have recommended that soaking in a bath where the water temperature is close to the normal body temperature for twenty minutes followed by a hot shower helps to relieve the pain associated with sciatica.

Massage has also been known to help relieve sciatic pain. It also aids in the prevention of it. Massaging the painful area followed by the application of ice can give good results as does reflexology. Working on the reflex points that are located around the sciatic nerve can relieve pain from sciatic. Regular practice of yoga has also been used to help promote healing of sciatica. The stretching of the muscles can help relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve.

With today’s health conscious society natural treatments are becoming a better alternative than conventional methods. Natural sciatic nerve pain relief can be accomplished with good results and without any harsh side-effects.

Sciatica is due to a nerve root problem in the lower back area, which in effect causes slight to severe discomfort in the right or left leg. Low back trouble happens in folks from ages thirty to 50 years old. The sciatic nerve starts in the backbone and is in charge of the movement of the muscles in the back of the knee and the lower leg.

Sciatica occurs when this nerve experiences pressure or damage. There are ways to reduce the pain it leads to and one is to do exercises for sciatica. Sure, bed rest is good, but the regular movement that exercises will give your muscles will strengthen them and help you fight the agony the sciatica causes.

Sciatica exercises involve generally stretching and buttressing that target the lumbar region muscles. Stretches ensure that the muscles experiencing the pain are released from their tenseness. They make your muscles more flexible. Strengthening your muscles will make sure that you’re giving your back its much wanted adequate support.

One can perform lumbar region stretches. To do this, you want to lie on your stomach and extend the muscles of your back, and repeat the whole exercise for ten times. Core strengthening exercises can also help in reducing the pain of sciatica. The body’s core- the stomach, pelvis, and back muscles-is one’s center of gravity.

Doing so will improve your posture, which is explicitly related to the sciatica. To feel the maximum effect of core reinforcing as your low back stiffness exercise, you have to do it at least three times a week. Hamstring exercises which involve the three posterior thigh muscles also reduce the pain you’re feeling in the leg by stretching the muscles and making them limber.

Yoga is also a good way to get exercises for sciatica, but if you have certain medical conditions, yoga isn’t for you. If you seek this sort of sciatica exercise, make efforts to consult with experts first before attempting.

A great way to treating sciatica is continuous sciatica exercise specifically targeting the areas that has to be strengthened and stretched, to build the muscles that cause low back stiffness.

The movement that you require will depend on the scale of agony you’re experiencing, so if it is really intense, make sure to check in with a pro therapist, to be certain you are getting the right sort of treatment.

Sciatica is a very painful condition that affects many people. Some people complain of tingling and/or numbness in their lower back, buttocks, or leg. Other people have shooting pain that radiates down from the base of their spine all the way to their toes.

The good news is that it is fairly easy to relieve the pain. The bad news is that unless you go further and treat the underlying conditions that led to your sciatica, your pain will most likely return.

Obviously, if you are suffering from these types of symptoms, sciatic pain relief is first and foremost on your mind. In order to effectively treat your sciatica symptoms, you need to follow a three step process.

Three Steps To Sciatic Pain Relief

Step 1: Identify the Cause Of Your Sciatica Pain

First, it is important to identify what is causing your sciatica. For this part, it is very important to go see a doctor. All sciatica pain is the result of compression somewhere along your sciatic nerve. The problem is that this nerve runs all the way from the base of your spine, through you hips and buttocks, and down each leg. Most of the time the compression occurs in one or two locations. You’ll need your doctor’s assistance to determine where.

Step 2: Treat the Pain

Next, your doctor will help you treat the pain. Your doctor may prescribe pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs. You might also need to do a few stretches to loosen up the affected area. Depending on your condition, your doctor will probably also recommend rest, cold/heat therapy, and possibly physical therapy.

Step 3: Treat the Underlying Causes Of The Pain

Unfortunately, most doctors and chiropractors will never get to this step with you. They focus on treating the pain, but never get around to identifying and treating all the imbalances and physical dysfunctions that caused the pain in the first place.

Many people assume that if you fix the pain, you’ve also fixed the problem. But this is untrue. Left alone, more than likely your sciatica pain will return. The next time it returns, it may be accompanied by even worse symptoms.

The Key To Lasting Sciatic Pain Relief

If your car is out of alignment, you can drive it for a while but you know a big repair bill is just on the horizon. The same is true for your body. As we go through life, it is quite common to develop various physical dysfunctions and muscle imbalances. These are a natural result of how we live our lives, how we sit at work, and our general habits and posture.

Over time, these imbalances slowly warp our body, pulling our spines, hips, and muscles out of alignment, thereby creating stress and strain that will develop into other conditions.

Muscle imbalances develop slowly over time. Most people have one or two and don’t even know about it. Sooner or later you need to take care of them before more severe problems develop. These same muscle imbalances are the root cause of most forms of sciatica as well as most forms of back pain. This is the key to understanding sciatica and finding lasting sciatic pain relief.

Sciatica nerve pain is a serious medical condition that can be caused by a variety of factors. One of the primary causes is disc herniation or a bulging of the lower lumbar disc, this in turn compresses one of the nerve roots that connect with the sciatic nerve. Nerve pain can sometimes center around the area that is being traumatized or in cases of very severe pain, can radiate all through the low back, the thigh and travel down the leg to the foot and the sole of the foot.

Sciatica nerve problems sometimes go away in the same way that they appeared, on their own. However, in the majority of cases the pain needs to be treated and cured. You may have the pain for a few weeks and suddenly find that the intervals at which it reappears are gradually becoming further apart. Others who are not so lucky may opt for alternative medicine approaches like acupuncture, acupressure or massage therapy.

Sciatica nerve cures can be divided into 3 broad categories: medical, alternative medicine and individual treatments. The causes for the pain are different from one individual to the next, so also will the treatment differ for each patient.

• Medical treatment involves a doctor who will conduct tests to identify the specific area where the sciatic nerve is being compressed or pinched or stressed. After assessing the situation, oral medication or epidural injections may be prescribed to control the pain and give the person relief. In cases where the pain is very severe, surgery may be recommended.
• Individual treatments center around getting the right kind of exercise that will strengthen the muscular core, improve posture and relieve weight pressing on the spinal cord.
• Alternative medicine involves acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic care, and massage therapy.

This months question is:

I often experience tightness just on one side of my back and sometimes only in my right hamstring or buttock. It isn’t there all the time but usually after I have done a long run or have begun to run more regularly like when the weather gets warmer in the spring.

Most runners realize that it is important to have good strength in the hamstrings and quadriceps, and that these muscles must be somewhat flexible or at least balanced in order to help prevent injury. But what many of these same runners fail to recognize is where these muscles attach. More specifically, the muscles in the front and backs of your legs that move the hips and knees attach into the pelvis, which makes up part of your lower back.

The longer the distance you are running the more important it is to have good balance and strength in the muscles of your lower back and pelvis. The tiny muscles of the lower back help to support good posture and running form. If these muscles are weak than a runner’s posture changes, and now there is irregular stress placed on the lower leg muscles which may result in injury. In addition, an imbalance between the lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles (in most people it’s that there stomach muscles are not as strong as they should be) can lead to the same problems. It is likely that you have an imbalance in the muscles of your lower back and/or abdominal muscles.

Weakness or imbalance in the lower back, pelvis and or abdominal muscles can occur from a deconditioned athlete, chronic leg muscle inflexibility, a misaligned bone in the back or pelvis, a pinched nerve, or a chronic lower leg or foot disorder, to name just a few. If it is purely a muscular imbalance then exercise will be the primary form of treatment. If there is joint involvement, than you will need some adjustments as well. There are many types of treatments, but the most successful always occur when the exact source of the problem is diagnosed. A good chiropractor or physical therapist should be your first choice to examine and determine what type of imbalance exists.

If you suffer from a lower back burning pain, it may feel as if the pain actually radiates, or travels down your leg. This is often associated with sciatica pain. Sometimes, people with sciatica might not suffer from any real pain in their back, but others suffer from severe pain. If you have been suffering with this condition that commonly makes it feel as if your back, leg and sometimes the side of your foot is on fire, you are not alone, because millions of people just like you suffer with this condition. In fact, it is far more common than you might think.

One of the best ways to start healing your back is to identify what is causing the pain. For some, this might be as simple as taking a step incorrectly and for others it could be something else. Some people who suffer from burning lower back pain, report that it only happens when they move their legs to the side, or do activities that require parts of their bodies to move at an odd angle. When you discover what it is that causes your back pain to flare up, then you can at least modify your movements in a way that will not cause you to inflame the sciatica.

Many people who suffer from burning lower back pain can find relief from their pain by avoiding activities that trigger the painful reaction, but many others are not content to avoid doing certain things forever, and these are the people who have decided that they are done with pain medication and being forced to sit still to ease their back pain. They are working to find a way to permanently cure lower back pain.

If this sounds like you then you should know that recent research has found that your burning lower back pain may be caused from a misalignment in your body. In other words, you have some muscles that are stronger than others. When this happens, the muscles constantly tug at each other and cause your body to become misaligned. This means that over time, the weaker muscles give up and the stronger ones might be pulling your spine into a different position than it should naturally be in. For some, the muscles are generally balanced in strength until they participate in something they aren’t used to, which will then pull the spine out of alignment and cause the burning lower back pain that many of us identify as sciatica.

You can reduce and even permanently eliminate burning lower back pain by learning how to give both sides of your body equal strength. Whether you’re interested in making one area, such as the shoulders stronger and more balanced, or want to strengthen the entire back so that you are strong all the way around, you can learn how to safely and effectively balance your body so that you can do away with the burning lower back pain that you suffer from without pain medication of any kind.

Unfortunately, for many people the world over suffer from lumbar back pain and sciatica. This discomfort can range from a dull throb, numbness or sharp shooting pain all the way down to the foot.

Whatever it feels like it can really disrupt your life. When the sciatic nerve pain strikes, trying to find some sort of comfort is a never ending problem.

Finding some sort of sciatica nerve relief is essential to all sufferers of this condition. The two sciatic nerves are the largest ones in the whole body. They start at the lower back and extend down both legs to the feet.

Getting sciatic nerve relief is not easy due to its size and since the pain comes when the nerve is compressed, it can be started off in many different areas. Very often it starts due to a herniated disc in the lower spine area.

It often raises its ugly head when you are just sitting and trying to relax. With severe pain, professional help is advised to locate the exact cause of the sciatic nerve pain.

One easy treatment is to ensure you try to stretch your muscles regularly. Creating a routine of exercises for sciatica can help a lot over time. Basic stretching techniques for the back, legs and the muscles of the buttocks often give good results and sciatica nerve relief.

Other exercises such as walking and swimming has proved to be another excellent treatment for sciatica. Remember not to place any real stress or push yourself too far when trying exercises for sciatica pain. It will be counter productive in the end.

Trying to keep as active as possible will also help sciatica leg pain and always remember to keep a correct posture. Very often a good quality mattress for your bed will help give you sciatic nerve pain relief.

Some pain relief can be obtained by the use of pain killers but this is only a temporary solution. Hot and cold presses have also been found to help.