Anything getting on your nerves?

Sciatic nerve irritation is probably the best know nerve problem – because it’s so painful!

Imagine the pain of the dentist drilling into a nerve in your tooth and then apply that to the longest nerve in the human body. It’s making me wince just thinking about it and I have seen thousands of patients with sciatica.

5 Things to look for if you think you might have Sciatica.

1. Pain from your low back/buttock radiating down your leg to your foot. A bit like an old fashioned thermometer the further it travels the more trouble you are in.
2. Numbness or tingling in your foot – this is a big clue as to which part of the nerve is irritated.
3. Weakness in the leg or foot – the nerve is not sending the right signal
4. Increased pain with certain activities. Prolonged sitting increases spinal chord pressure and forward bending can push the disc onto the nerve.
5. Coughing and sneezing can be agonising when you have sciatica.

2 Red flags to look out for – Talk to the doctor or hospital if you experience these.

1. Loss of bladder control
2. Saddle anaesthesia – imagine sitting on a bike saddle and not being able to feel it.