What is Sciatica?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxNSSODBKp0
Sciatica…Mis-Diagnosed!
One of the more common issues that I tend to see in my office is that of “pseudo-sciatica”. What this refers to is when someone tells me that they have been diagnosed with sciatica, but their symptoms aren’t exactly what you would find in a true case.
Sciatica is essentially when the sciatic nerve, which exits the spine, and travels through the middle of the butt muscles, and down the leg, becomes compressed by either a disc bulge, spinal stenosis, degeneration, or even by the muscle that externally rotates the hip, called the piriformis.
When the nerve is compressed or entrapped, the pain is quite obvious. Usually, it is a sharp pain, and may or may not include a numbness or tingling sensation going down the leg along the line of the nerve.
However, many diagnosed cases of sciatica actually don’t have these symptoms. The most common complaint is “dull aching” sensation around the hip region, and going down the leg in a sort of inconsistent pattern.
That, my friends, is a sign that trigger points may be at work!
As you can see in the picture above, trigger points (marked as “x”) when pressed on, can cause the same type of pain pattern as sciatica.
A simple test for trigger point activity is to press into the areas that are marked X, and see if the pain pattern refers down your leg. If this is the case, you could very well have a trigger point problem.
What is the treatment for trigger points? Simple:
1. Shorten the muscle in which the trigger point is found; This allows the muscle to “reset” and can often de-activate trigger points.
2. Ice or heat; Both can be effective at reducing trigger point pain, particularly when combined with #1.
3. Neuromuscular Massage therapy: This particular form of massage technique focuses on finding and releasing trigger points. In the hands of a skilled therapist, no trigger point can survive! lol!
4. Corrective Exercise: Fixing muscle imbalances is essential in eliminating trigger points, as they can be a major contributer to the development of them! Stretch the tight, strengthen the weak, thats what I say!
Sam Visnic–
Back Pain Glossary
I just realized as I started writing a few days ago, that many times people find it a little changing to follow the terminology I use when talking about back pain and the body. So, I decided to put together this short glossary of essential terms:
- Muscle Imbalance: For every muscle in the body, there is a counter muscle that performs the opposite function. This helps our bodies to stay upright, protect our joints, and provide stability. When muscles become imbalanced, it causes postural dysfunction and can be a major cause of back pain.
- “Chronic” Back Pain: This usually refers to back pain that persists over a period of time. Some consider pain to be chronic after 3 months.
- Pelvis: The pelvis includes the 2 bowl-like bones that connect to the sacrum, which is at the bottom of the spine.
- Anterior Pelvic Tilt: Anterior refers to the front of the body. If you imagine the pelvis as a bucket of water, anterior pelvic tilt would be when the bucket tips and pours water onto your toes. There is a normal amount of pelvic tilt in both women and men.
- Posterior Pelvic Tilt: Posterior refers to the backside of the body. If we use the analogy of the bucket of water as with the anterior pelvic tilt, then posterior pelvic tilt would be when the bucket of water tips backward and pours water down the back on your legs and heels.
- Sciatica: This commonly mis-diagnosed condition, is when the sciatic nerve is entrapped by either dysfunction in the spine, or by muscles through or around which the nerve passes.
- Spinal Stenosis: This is a condition where the spinal canal gets smaller and compresses the spinal cord and/or nerves exiting the spine. This can happen on either one or both sides.
- Disc Bulge/Herniation: This is a condition in which there is a tear in the outer layer of a spinal disc. Discs can create pressure on spinal nerves, thus causing radiating pain.
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