Homeopathy 

Sciatica – Lightning leg pain

Nerves are complex fibres in our body which carry impulses from the periphery to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and vice versa. In simple language, they are wire connections of our body which carry current (impulses/signals) between brain and muscles, joints, skin, etc. without which communication of impulses related with sensation, movement, reflex, control, correlation, function cannot be performed and life will be a coma. Till now, science has not advanced to replace it.

Nerves are cord like structure which consist of several nerve fibres. Sciatic nerve is the largest nerve of our body which is also called as Great Nerve. It is around 2 cms in diameter. It arises from nerve (roots) plexus emerging from the sacrum (back part of hip bone). It comes out of the pelvis through greater sciatic foramen (opening) in the hip bone with piriformis muscle which unites hip joint and femur. From there it descends on the backside of the leg, deep into the gluteus muscles (buttock). It gives out branches tibial nerve and common peroneal nerve to supply medial and posterior aspect of leg. In general, it innervates joints (hip joint, knee joint, etc.), muscles and skin of the leg. So diseases of this nerve can make one disabled.

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Sedentary life often complicates life. One among them is sciatica. Sciatica is commonly misspelled now for all leg pain, but actually sciatica refers for the neuralgic pain extending down the leg arising from the irritation, compression and inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Its intolerable intensity and recurrent nature make every sufferer most worried. Unless one has suffered and conquered sciatica, they cannot realise its frightening, lightning pain.

Characteristic of sciatica

• One-sided pain

• Lightning or shooting in character

• Symptoms are aggravated with change of posture (regarding hip and leg) especially leaning forward, raising leg in lying posture. They often add fuel to the fire of suffering.

Incidences – Sufferers are mostly sedentary workers (computer professionals) and long distance travelers/drivers. They will be weak and get trapped with their own occasional strain. Even though, it can occur in any person of any age group, females around menopause are the most common victims. It is mainly due to development of osteoporosis and friction loss. Also it is commonly noted after strenuous exercises, spinal injury, improper jumping, lifting heavy objects improperly, prolonged sitting, etc. The commonest site where the sciatic nerve gets trapped often is near the spines or greater sciatic foramen where it emerges with piriformis muscle.

Causes – The development of sciatic pain i.e., sciatica, is due to compression / prick / pinch of sciatic nerve by bones or muscles or external factors (pressure) or internal factors (disease and tumours). Here sciatic nerve gets trapped and inflamed. Sciatica can be due to a variety of reasons:

• Injury or fall or accident or physical strain (even sitting continuously for a prolonged time which exerts pressure over the buttock area) either with or without fracture

• Degeneration or friction loss/wear and tear phenomenon (herniated disc or prolapsed disc or spondlytis)

• Adhesion of sciatic nerve to adjacent muscle or ligaments (commonly with piriformis muscle)

• Inflammation or abscess formation in spine (cold abscess – tuberculosis)

• Tumours – of vertebral bones, nerve roots and pelvic organs

• Diseases – Nervous disorders, diabetes, etc.

Symptoms - Sciatica symptoms usually vary from person to person in type, intensity and suffering period depending upon the nerve fibres involved and nature of the complaint or disease. Some patients tolerate the pain or condition with day-to-day activities and some may be bedridden all of a sudden. It all depends upon the site of affliction and intensity. Most often it occurs as a catch in the hip after a strain or fall. Also, mostly, the complaint radiates down the leg in one side. The common symptoms are:

• Tightness and stiffness in the lower back

• Difficulty in rising and standing immediately after sitting on a chair for a long time

• Violent sharp lightning / shooting down / flickering type pain in hip or buttock or leg or in all parts

• Pain radiates from buttock down the leg to foot in the posterior (back) and inner (medial) aspect of the leg

• Numbness or tingling sensation with weakness in the parts involved

• Restlessness due to pain

• Difficulty in gait due to tight low back muscles and development of partial or complete paralysis in muscles below knee which reflect as wasting of muscles

• Development of paralysis may proceed further to hinder bladder and bowel control

Diagnosis – It is must to diagnose a complaint before starting treatment or suppressing it with a pain-killer. To pinpoint nerve compression or disc degeneration or disc prolapse, one can go with plain X-ray, CT scan or MRI. History of the complaint i.e., incidence, nature of disease, aggravating factors, etc., and neuromuscular examination with respect to injury, scar, pain on particular posture, sensation, temperature, muscle power, reflex, muscle wasting can also provide outline for the diagnosis. Also, before diagnosing and fixing sciatica as the complaint, it is better to examine and scan the abdomen also to rule out renal stones, gall stones, pelvic tumours, etc., since these complaints also mimic initial sciatica symptoms.

Prevention – Prevention is always better than cure. So, it is better to avoid triggers.

Do’s

• Sit, stand, sleep in straight/erect position

• Brisk walking or swimming or any active exercise daily at least for 30 minutes

• Sleep lying on back in hard flat surface if you have sciatica complaints

• Lift weight close to the chest if you have sciatica complaints

Avoid

• Stress and strain

• Sitting continuously for a long period

• Foam mattress

• Leaning forward for lifting any objects

• Lifting heavy objects

• Curling up in bed and chair

• Exercises while there is pain

Complications: - The severity of symptoms often make one fear to live. Paralysis of the leg below the knee is the most common complication. Rarely, it may involve the bladder and rectum.

General treatment – The routine mode of treatment is generally based on symptoms and its intensity. Along with exercise (physiotherapy), posture corrections are also commonly advised to sufferers. Other than that, on requirement, pain-killers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed with supplements (calcium, magnesium and essential fatty acids).

Traction will also be advised many a time for temporary relief. Repeated traction will not only become useless over time, but also cause more pain. Sufferers will also often try their own healing way with oil application, massage, hot bath and flax seed or other anti-ageing supplements(?).Unless otherwise the cause is found and treated accordingly or appropriately, sciatic pain will recur and get worse over time. Surgery is advised in case of severe compression as a final resort.

Homeopathic approach – Sciatica should not be treated just with anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers, since the situation will often get worse with time, leading one to surgery. One should be aware that “instantly killing pain with a pain-killer is just like putting off the light when you don’t want to see the things around. Surely the day will come when / where you cannot switch off the pain”. Here pleasure with pain-killers is nothing else but the intermission of pain.

Wear and tear phenomena are common for everyone. If you happen to use the bones in one position only all the time or most of the time, then, naturally, that point will suffer more friction loss than other places. If friction loss occurs evenly, people will lose some height only with age. But, if it has not occurred evenly then, more friction loss occurring in one place can damage disc to cause disc degeneration or disc bulge or disc prolapse which can induce sciatica. So, caring position is equally important against medicines to rule out exciting cause or maintaining cause.

The goal of treatment should not be aimed only at relief but also to prevent recurrence. Rebounding, recurring attack can be given knock outs, when the reviver counsels the sufferer about correct posture in addition to drugs. In addition, “No more attacks” can be brought easily, when a Homeopath selects and prescribes a right drug constitutionally with detailed analyses of cause, nature of pain, aggravating factors, characteristic symptoms of disease and characteristic symptoms of the sufferer.

Homeopathy can provide miraculous relief from this nervous pain without any side-effects by controlling the inflammation and infection of the nerves. Also, Homeopathy can treat paralysis or weakness of the leg by rejuvenating the sciatic nerve. It favours enhancement of neuron regeneration / reduction of disc bulge / ruling out other causes to revive impinged nerve. In case of fractured bones which compress the sciatic nerve, surgery may be absolutely needed to relieve the suffering by releasing the compression mechanically (surgically).

Homeopathic medicines commonly used in cases of sciatica are Ars alb, Belladonna, Bryonia, Calc carb, Chamomilla, Colchicum, Colocynthis, Dioscorea, Gelsemium, Gnanphalium, Kali bich, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mag phos, Medorrhinum, Natrum mur, Nux vom, Phytolacco, Plumbum met, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox, Ruta, Sangunaria, Spigelia, Tarentula, Viscum alb, Xanthoxylum, etc, These medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a Qualified Homeopath.

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Published on Aug 7^th, 2006