What to do if over-chilled sciatic nerve

The Sciatic nerve is the largest in the human body and its pathology are quite common among people of middle and older age. The main complaint of these patients is pain along this nerve, that is, from the lumbosacral region (lower back) to the lower leg, the popliteal fossa or foot, depending on which nerve fibers are involved in the pathological process. Will deal more with this problem.

inflammation of the sciatic nerve after exposure

Main causes of sciatica

Sciatica is always not one disease, but a signal about many problems in the body. This syndrome is characterized by pain that spread along the sciatic nerve.

The Reasons for this pain syndrome can be several:

  • inflammation on the background of degenerative processes of the vertebral column;
  • compression of the nerve endings in connective tissue, tunneling neuropathy
  • injury, the effects of intramuscular injection;
  • herniated disc hernia of the IPOA;
  • hypothermia
  • posture;
  • infection and toxic effects of certain substances;
  • diabetes.

The Most common causes of pain along the sciatic nerve is degenerative disease of spine (osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, osteoarthritis of spine joints etc.). In this case, the called vertebrogenic sciatica. On the second place by frequency of occurrence are tunnel neuropathy piriformis syndrome, etc. It is about these pathologies usually mean when they say “a stiff sciatic nerve”.

Symptoms sciatic nerve

The Symptoms should not be overlooked, as the inflammation, compression of nerve is accompanied with severe pain. In the first place it appears in the area of the lumbosacral plexus, and then descends to the foot mainly on the back of the thigh. The pain causes the patient cannot stand up from a sitting position the usual way. It looks something like the figure below.

the symptoms of sciatica

Typical for this disease are considered and reflex muscle tension:

  1. Symptom Lasegue. Pain in the lumbar spine and along the nerve, it may be worse if you lift your limb in the supine position. To verify the presence of the disease and possible one hundred: while tilting the body forward, when the leg is bent at the knee and slowly take it back, there will be a lot of pain.
  2. Symptom Neri. If you tilt your head forward, there is pain in her leg, and she reflexively bent. It also shows that sciatic nerve is inflamed.

The Exacerbation of the disease occur from lifting heavy weight, nervous strain, prolonged exposure to the cold, if lost back. After some time, small injuries to the spinal division of the sciatic nerve and in most cases lead to the development of neuritis – sciatica.

Additional symptoms of the lesion of the sciatic nerve include:

  • paresthesia – feelings of pins and needles, burning on the lateral surface of the leg to the feet;
  • reducing the sensitivity up to full anesthesia
  • atrophy of the calf muscles, reducing the fullness of the calves, which can be measured by centimeter;
  • movement disorders, muscle weakness;
  • reduction or loss of tendon reflexes – Achilles, plantar, etc.

usually, symptoms of the sciatic nerve does not appear occasional, usually all diseases connected with this nerve, recurrent, requiring a sufficiently long treatment.

At the first signs rush to the doctor to get a thorough examination, which will confirm or refute the diagnosis, and then treatment will be chosen.

Diagnosis

diagnosis inflammation of the sciatic nerve

To determine the cause of sciatica, the doctor after survey appoints complex examination of the spine:

  1. General blood test, biochemical and sometimes that will help to identify inflammation, autoimmune lesions and indirect signs of intoxication.
  2. Magnetic resonance imaging. It can help to identify the offset of the discs, herniation, or entrapment.
  3. CT scan of the spine. Required if a complete picture of the disease is not identified when performing magnetic resonance investigations and need more data that will help to correct treatment.
  4. x-ray examination.
  5. examination of the cerebrospinal fluid by indications (suspected viral or bacterial lesion of the nerve roots).

Treatment inflammation

Treatment includes the use of multiple methods:

  1. Rest. The patient should adhere to a sparing mode.
  2. Drug treatment. Prescribers, relieving inflammation, vitamins and muscle relaxants. Wellhelp gels and ointments, which removes the spasms and considerably reduce pain if you have suffered sciatic nerve.
  3. Procaine, lidocaine blockade of the sciatic nerve (through the point Voino-Yasenetsky).
  4. Massage. It can be prescribed only after the acute period. Helps to improve conductive ability of nerve and blood circulation, contributes to the relief of the inflammatory process.
  5. physical Therapy. Electrophoresis (Novocain and aminophylline) and hot compresses will help to improve the condition of the patient, especially if they are combined with medicinal herbs.
  6. physiotherapy exercises. The program is made individually for each patient. To perform exercises can not moving from the bed, immediately in the first days after the exacerbation.
  7. Osteopathy and manual therapy are the main therapies in myofascial pain syndromes, which occur when sciatica.
  8. Operations. This method is used only in extreme cases when breaks of the pelvic organs, the disease becomes chronic and can not do without intervention to prevent complications.

novocaine blockade in sciatica

Drug therapy

Medical treatment is basic in the acute phase, because drugs help to relieve inflammation and pain in the pathology of the sciatic nerve. The treatment prescribed by your doctor. As therapy first aid you can receive one of NPVS – "Nimesulide, Meloxicam, Diclofenac," the application of gel with Ketoprofen ("Fastum", "Ketoprofen") on the area of pain. After that, you need to seek medical help.

drugsNameregimen
NSAID"Meloxicam (Movalis", "Amelotex")
"Nimesulide" ("Nimesil", "Nise")
7.5-15 mg 1 time per day intramuscularly, then go to a preformed shape.
100 mg (1 sachet) 2 times a day after meals.
Muscle relaxants"Mydocalm"
"Sirdalud"
injections of 100 mg 2 times a day, tablets of 50 mg 3 times a day.
2 mg 3 times a day, then the dose is titrated according to the patient's health.
Steroid hormones"Prednisolone"From 5 to 60 mg per day
Painkillers"Tramadol"
"Katadolon"
50-100 mg in the form of injections or tablets.
100 mg 3-4 times a day, in elderly, the dose is reduced.

with respect to the appointment of vitamins, the b vitamins (B1, 6) helps to relieve period pain with a joint appointment with NSAIDs and muscle relaxants. The only comprehensive treatment will give a good effect, will take away all the symptoms, if worried about the sciatic nerve.

Sources:

  1. Practical aspects of the treatment of chronic back pain. Rachin A. P., and others. Russian medical journal, №12, 2015;
  2. Rational use of combined preparations of diclofenac with b vitamins in the treatment of dorsopathies. Badalyan O. L. Russian medical journal., No. 12, 2015.
  3. Principles of management of patient with acute back pain in General practice. Vorobyeva O. V. Russian medical journal, №10, 2015.