Sciatica

DEFINITION: Pain that travels down either or both legs along the course of the sciatic nerve: Through the mid-buttock to the posterior thigh and then down the posterior, lateral or medial side of the calf or shin to the foot. It may skip a region, e.g., appearing in the buttock and calf, but not the thigh. Sciatica is often accompanied by sensory changes such as tingling, a tight feeling of the skin, numbness, and sometimes by weakness in muscles of the leg or foot. BENEFICIAL POSES: Sciatica is a symptom, not a medical condition or disease. It must be treated according to the cause: Herniated Lumbar Disc, Spinal Stenosis, Piriformis Syndrome, Facet Syndrome, Spondylolisthesis, and Spinal Compression Fracture are the principal causes, listed here by the frequency with which they cause sciatica; the yoga approach to each of these conditions can be found in this database once the cause of sciatica is established. That may require medical consultation, or just a good history and physical. EXPLANATION: True sciatica has a neurological cause, and must be treated according to that cause: The same poses that are helpful for e.g., herniated disc may be harmful in spinal stenosis. Therefore proper treatement can only follow diagnosis: proper treatment focuses on the underlying cause. Please seen entries under Herniated Lumbar Disc, Spinal Stenosis, Facet Syndrome, , Spondylolisthesis (anterior and posterior), Spinal Compression Fracture, Scoliosis, and Piriformis Syndrome.