The outer third of the ring is innervated so when this happens you will often have back pain as the NP pushes into the innervated section of the ring. The cartilaginous ring may become injured or torn due to everyday stresses of bending, sitting, posture, wear and tear and will develop a fissure or tear and the nucleus pulposus (NP) will move out of the center. The disc is composed of a cartilaginous ring or annulus fibrosis and a gel like center, the nucleus pulposus. Shock absorbing discs are positioned between our vertebra. The mechanical pressure placed on the sciatic nerve is often referred to as impingement and can be caused by several sources.Ī herniated disc (HNP) is one cause of sciatica. Intensity and distribution of pain symptoms down the leg have a direct relationship to the amount of pressure being placed on the nerve further up the chain. Often patients with leg pain are not aware that the source of their pain is the low back. In the beginning stages this pain may feel like a fishing line pulling along the back or side of the hip and thigh. Radiculopathy is a term used to describe pain that extends into the hip and down the leg but is usually caused from pressure on the nerve higher up in the chain.
Each patient will present with a unique combination of symptoms with sciatica. Within this bundle are fibers that allow us to feel sensation in the skin surrounding the hip and thigh and motor fibers that conduct movement in the hip, leg and foot.Īny problem in the lower spine can affect one of the neurons that feed into the sciatic nerve, and cause burning, pain, numbness in the hip, thigh and foot. At knee level the sciatic nerve splits into the tibial and common fibular nerves and controls the lower leg and foot. It can measure up to three quarters of an inch in diameter and consists of a bundle of five nerves that branch from the lower portion of the spinal cord. During examination in gross anatomy lab it appeared to look like a very thick semi opaque fiber optic cable. The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the human body. Sciatica and or herniated disc (HNP) are two common diagnosis that are responsible for back pain at any age.
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