Sciatic Trapped Nerve

A trapped nerve means that a nerve coming from the spinal cord is irritated or pressed on. Patients who have a sciatic nerve trapped feel pain along the course of the nerve. Therefore, you may feel pain down a leg to the calf or foot, and the pain in the leg or foot is often worse than the pain in the back. A common example of trapped nerve is 'sciatica nerve trapped '. This is where a main nerve to the leg, the sciatic nerve is trapped.

The sciatica nerve trapped may also cause pins and needles, numbness or weakness in part of a buttock, leg or foot. The cause of sciatica nerve trapped may be due to inflammation caused by a ligament or muscle sprain or slipped disc (disc prolapsed). The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the body. It runs from the lower back region through the buttock and continues down the back of the leg. The sciatic nerve controls the movement of many muscles in the thigh and leg as well as provides a means of sensory input to the brain. When the sciatic nerve becomes irritated and inflamed, it results in sciatica.


Causes of Sciatica nerve trapped:

• Herniated disc, sciatica can occur if the prolapsed discs of the lower back compress the sciatic nerve. This compression irritates the nerve and causes swelling and pain along the sciatic nerve. Herniated discs are the most common cause of sciatica.

• Lumbar spinal stenosis - a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back region. When the spinal canal becomes narrow in this area, it can compress the sciatic nerve.

• Piriformis syndrome, the piriformis is a small muscle located deep in the buttock region. It does abduction (lifting out) and external rotation of hip joint. The sciatic nerve runs extremely close to the piriformis muscle, and occasionally runs through it. As a result, when the piriformis muscle becomes tight, it often puts pressure on the sciatic nerve causing irritation and inflammation


Physiotherapy for Sciatica nerve trapped

• Assessment and diagnoses

• Information and advice on your injury

• Home exercise and physical activities

• Posture and gait analyses

• Manual therapy such as manipulation, mobilisation and massage for short-term pain relief

• Applying heat or cold, ultrasound, electrotherapy to the affected area

Physiotherapy exercise programme for sciatica nerve trapped

• Stretching and strengthening exercises that target the muscles of the lower back, abdomen, and thighs can help reduce the symptoms of sciatica.

• Piriformis muscle stretching, low back muscle stretching, hamstring stretching, core strengthening exercise.

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