Methods To Relieve Sciatica

Getting A Proper Diagnosis

Not all back pain is sciatica. Sciatica is specifically pain in the back, or in the buttocks, or in the leg, caused by the pinching or compressing of the sciatic nerve. Some cases of back pain are sharp, some are dull. Sciatica is the same. Some cases of back pain last for weeks, even months. That happens in sciatica, too, with some cases resolving without the need for treatment. It is difficult for an untrained person to determine if the pain truly is sciatica or something else. This is especially so because there are other possible cases of back pain. Back pain can sometimes be because of a malfunctioning organ, like a kidney, or another back injury like a slipped disc. The danger here is if an untrained person (read: not a medical doctor) decides to diagnose, and they diagnose incorrectly, you could be trying to treat the pain as sciatica (and subsisting on stretching and over-the-counter painkillers), when you should instead be treating an illness that needs immediate attention. The only reliable diagnosis if the pain you are experiencing is sciatica or something else is a medical doctor. Get a proper diagnosis, you will get a proper treatment.