The Sciatic Nerve

1
The Sciatic Nerve

• P. Wall
• READ 91-B

2
The sciatic nerve passes from the lower spine to
the feet.
3
It is the longest and widest single nerve in the
human body.
4
Sometimes this nerve is irritated, which produces
a feeling of pain, tingling, or numbness. This
condition is called sciatica.
5
Severe sciatica can make walking difficult if not
impossible.
6
Sciatica occurs when a nerve that connects to the
sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated.
7
Sciatica is generally caused by disc disease.
8
The spine consists of a string of discs.
9
These discs are filled with fluid which can leak
due to age or injury. This is called a
herniated disc.
10
Other conditions which can cause sciatica are
narrowing of the spinal canal and degenerative
disc disease.
11
These spinal conditions frequently occur with
aging.
12
The good news is that sciatica usually gets
better on its own. The healing process usually
only takes a few days or weeks.
13
Pain management techniques and regular exercise
will go a long way toward remedying the situation.
14
If medication and exercise do not resolve the
pain, surgery is an option. About 80 of
patients find relief through surgery.
15
SOURCES Wikipedia.org Webmd.com Spine-health.co
m