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3 Strange Causes of Sciatica That Can Trigger Back Pain
Sciatica affects the nerves in and around your spine. If you have sciatica symptoms, it could be due to something other than a spine condition that leads to back pain.
If you're experiencing back pain and nerve symptoms, our team at Integrated Body and Medicine has the experience to help. Our team consists of specialists who help you understand what's causing your back pain and who provide you with personalized treatments for relief.
Understanding sciatica
Sciatica describes back pain with nerve involvement. Sciatica is a broad term that's a symptom of another condition that causes compression or inflammation of your sciatic nerve.
A mechanical problem, such as a herniated disc in your spine, sometimes causes symptoms related to sciatica. This leads to swelling or irritation of your spinal nerves, which causes symptoms like:
- Low back pain
- Pain in your legs
- Burning sensation
- Tingling or numbness
The symptoms related to sciatica vary in severity, depending on the actual cause. You usually experience leg pain or tingling in only one leg at a time, but both legs may be affected depending on where your nerve is being compressed.
Sciatica sometimes goes away on its own with home care measures. But we must find the condition's underlying cause to get you the treatment you need.
Three odd causes of sciatica symptoms
Sciatica is often due to a structural problem in your spine, such as a bulging disc or spinal stenosis. Although these are common causes of sciatic pain, structural issues aren't the only reason you may be having symptoms.
Several lesser-known causes mimic sciatica and lead to pain in your back. Three strange causes that lead to sciatica symptoms include:
Shingles
Shingles is a viral condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox in children. Shingles often comes with an excruciating rash on different areas of your body.
You may have shingles if you notice a severe rash near your lower back, buttocks, or upper thigh and have sciatica pain. You may experience low back pain and other symptoms before the rash appears.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the tissue inside your uterus grows in other areas of your body, often causing severe pain. If you're in your childbearing years and have endometriosis, you can undoubtedly experience symptoms of sciatica.
You may experience back pain or leg pain with endometriosis if the tissue grows around your spinal nerves.
Peripheral vascular disease
Peripheral vascular disease and other vascular problems may cause back pain and other sciatic-like symptoms. Vascular disease decreases blood flow to vital areas in your legs, sometimes leading to weakness, tingling, and numbness, which are symptoms of sciatica.
If you have diabetes, you're at risk for PVD and neuropathy, which leads to back pain related to the disorder. But anyone can get PVD or other vascular problems that mimic sciatica.
Easing your back pain
At Integrated Body and Medicine, we get to the bottom of what's causing your back pain and sciatica symptoms. Knowing the cause helps us provide you with a personalized treatment plan to eliminate your symptoms.
We design your treatment plan to your specific level of pain and discomfort. If you have a mild to moderate form of sciatica, we recommend home care measures such as ice or heat. Other noninvasive treatments include:
- Physical therapy
- Over-the-counter medications
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
- Stretching
- Chiropractic care
- Massage therapy
We also need to treat the leading cause of your symptoms, even if they’re unrelated to your spine. If you have an abnormal condition causing your back pain, we offer customized treatment plans to help you overcome the leading cause of sciatica.
To get treatment for your back pain, don't hesitate to call our office in the greater Highland and Hammond, Indiana, area to schedule an appointment or send our team a message through our online booking portal.
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