Lower Back pain

 

Lower Back and Hip Pain - What Exactly is Sciatica and a Herniated Disc

Lower Back and Hip Pain - What Exactly is Sciatica and a Herniated Disc

Lower back and hip pain is perhaps the most draining of health issues preventing you from undertaking many of the things you want to do

Undoubtedly one of the more common yet misunderstood medical conditions suffered by a lot of people is back and hip pain

Because there is generally no outside physical symptoms of the problem it is often an extremely tough problem to diagnose. This short article will take a look at two key areas of lower back and hip pain:

    sciatica and
    herniated disc

When you consider the real stresses and strains many of us put on the lower back and also the hips it's obvious why so many of us suffer from lower back and hip discomfort. Even the very simple action of walking stresses these areas. When our feet strike the ground the impact of this action is transported to the hips and lower back. If we were perfectly put together then this would not generally lead to any kind of issues. However, very few of us can make this claim and such things as flat feet or one leg being just a bit longer compared to the other or even perhaps you have a small curvature of the spine could cause additional stresses on the back and hips that might lead to back and hip problems

Some of these complaints can often be remedied quite simply. For instance, flat feet can be remedied utilizing orthotics; in cases like this you would need to visit a podiatrist. As you can see some lower back pain causes can be simple to treat while some others like for example sciatica are harder

WHAT IS SCIATICA

Just what actually is sciatica? In a nut-shell it is pinching of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve stretches from your feet to the end of your spine. The main issue when this nerve is pinched is to have the condition accurately clinically determined

Because the sciatic nerve is considered the longest nerve in your body, stretching from your spine to the feet. the trouble could be anywhere between the bottom of the backbone and your feet. This means you could experience pains any place in that area, even in a foot. There have been occasions where sciatica has become confounded with pulling a hamstring muscle and because stretching a hamstring can potentially further worsen the sciatica, it is very important for the problem to be correctly identified

Treatments for sciatica are usually maintaining a good posture, cease running, if you are into running for exercise, and to get a physician's advice. Sometimes the reasons may not be serious even so it pays to seek medical advice in case what caused the sciatica is something serious, like, for example, a degenerated disc

WHAT IS HERNIATED DISC

Another issue is herniated disc. Although it is feasible to have a herniated disc any place in your spine it's most commonly seen in the lower back. Herniated disc causes are usually a result of growing older and the disc essentially wearing out or is caused by a spinal injury when tiny cracks and tears permit fluid from inside the disc to be forced out to the external part of the disc causing it to bulge and sometimes even break

Herniated disc signs in the lower back are typically pain and numbness or some weakness in that section of the body. If the herniated disc applies pressure on a nerve, this can also be a cause of sciatica. However, if it does not put pressure on a nerve then you would generally have a backache

Herniated disc diagnosis will most likely necessitate tests such as a scan or an MRI and for that reason it is important if you have symptoms to consult your doctor

Both of these conditions can be quite debilitating and cause a lot of pain and discomfort and disruption to everyday life

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