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Sciatica is a symptom which is associated with pain in the lower back, legs, buttocks and thighs. It is coupled with numbness, tingling, etc. in the mentioned areas and is one of the symptoms of a basic medical disease. The degree of pain depends on each individual and is caused when there is damage to the sciatic nerve. In the following lines, we shall learn all about this nerve, what causes the damage and how to the best treatment. Sciatic nerve The sciatic nerve is formed in the lower spinal cord and starts from this place and runs through the hip joint and the back of the thigh. It is the longest nerve in the human body that has 2 basic functions: • Sending signals to the surrounding muscles from the brain. • Sending sensory information from the legs to the brain. What causes Sciatica? When there is a herniated spinal disc in the body, this results in the nerve being compressed. Once this condition develops, the patient experiences pain and weakness in the legs. There are other causes as well which include spondylolisthesis, tumors, etc. The most common symptoms are as follows: • Cramps or pain in the thigh region. • Pain in the buttocks which travels down to the legs. • Tingling in the legs and thighs. • Burning feeling in the thighs. • Pain in the lower back. Sciatica is mostly found in people between 30 to 50 years old and the other risk factors are the kind of profession one is associated with and the life style. Someone who has to lift heavy objects as part of his profession is at a greater risk. Similarly, people who are physically inactive and sit for longer hours are also prone to the condition. Smoking is another habit which needs to be gotten rid of as it is another risk factor that can lead to a number of major diseases. There are two types of the disease and they are as follows: • Acute Sciatica – This is a short term condition which can be treated with over the counter medications, exercise, etc. • Chronic Sciatica – This can be effectively cured by physiotherapy as it a long term disease. There are some steps which can be taken to avoid these symptoms and the best and easiest way is to make some changes to the life style. Exercising a few times every week can really work wonders. All those who are required to sit for more than 8 to 10 hours at one place should consider this at the earliest in order to prevent the same. It is not a life threatening disease and it is in very rare cases that surgery is required. If the symptoms of Sciatica are chronic and do not decrease even after 6 to 8 weeks, it is advisable to seek the advice of a physician. The doctor will be able to detect the exact cause and give the right treatment.
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