What is it?
Sciatica is nerve pain travelling down the leg. Sciatica symptoms include weakness, numbness pins and needles, electric shock sensations and aching. The pain will vary from infrequent and irritating to constant and incapacitating.
As the nerve originate from the disc they will travel the length of your legs through various muscles. These nerves of which are very robust can become irritated by injury or any issues with these structures. As a result you may experience nerve irritation.
How long will it last for?
Nerve pain can affect any one and for most people it will settle in 4 to 6 weeks. You will do no harm by keeping mobile and staying at work. In fact it will be much more beneficial for you to adjust to getting up from your chair and keeping moving.
What do I do once I have it?
Perform some gentle back & leg stretches to maintain flexibility in your tissues and encourage your body’s natural healing and recovery process. Once you are relatively pain free it is important to commence a strength program to finish your rehabilitation and decrease the chance of re-injury. Try to link these exercises into your daily activity and do not worry if they cause your a little bit of pain as this can be normal. It will improve with time.
Finally if your symptoms are not settling within 6 weeks you should seek advice from a healthcare professional. Similarly if you experience the following symptoms contact your clinician urgently.
- An inability to pass urine when you feel that you need to go.
- Loss of control of your bowels.
- Numbness around your genital area.
- Inability to get an erection.
- Worsening weakness in both legs.
Be patient with your mind and your body, the long term outcome is good
We have got your back !
By Patrick Mcfadyen
