Discogenic Pain And Sciatica

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It is seen that more than 40% of the back problems occur due to the degeneration of the intervertebral discs. In case you are suffering from severe lower back or neck pain and the cause is not the herniated disc, it is most likely a discogenic pain. It is due to the deterioration of the physical and the chemical properties of the discs that the deterioration occurs. Herein is an attempt to clarify the relationship between the discogenic pain and sciatica- a common lower back pain caused due to compression of the sciatic nerve. Both the discogenic pain and sciatica go hand in hand. Not all are aware of the reason of their connection. Until you know how they are connected, it would not be easy to treat them. Let's have a look.

The relationship
The degeneration of the spinal discs or the discogenic pain happens due to a lot of reasons like, growing age, genes, injury or misuse. The deformity of the disc can be a result of herniation or bulging of the disc which causes compression of the sciatic nerve-the longest nerve in the human body that runs down the leg, starting from the lower back. The compression causes symptoms like pain, stiffness, tingling, muscle weakness and numbness in lower part of the body. Thus, the relationship between the discogenic disease and sciatica is that of the 'cause and effect'. In simple words, sciatica can be a result of degenerative disc disease or discogenic disease in the lower part of the body.

To know more about the sciatic nerve, it originates in the lower back, passes through the pelvis into each buttock and then eventually goes down to each leg. This is the longest and the widest nerve in the human body as mentioned above. Sciatica is not a disease, it is a set of symptoms indicating problem in the sciatic nerve. Anything that causes the compression of this nerve results in the aforesaid symptoms.

The treatment
If it is confirmed that the discogenic disease is the reason for sciatica, there are a number of treatment options available for you to choose from. However, this must be done under the supervision of an expert doctor only. The best treatments are non-surgical ones. These treatments include exercises, rest, alternate hot and cold therapy, acupuncture and acupressure, anti inflammatory pain medications, other physical therapies and rest. But, in some cases these therapies do not work and one has to resort to surgery. It should be kept in mind that surgery be the last option as the spinal area is extremely sensitive and a wrong step is likely to render you helpless forever. It is best to take expert advice in case of surgery.