The largest nerve bundle in your body can become the largest pain in the rear. The sciatic nerve originates from the lowest part of your spine and serves the lower body. When the nerve gets irritated, inflamed, or compressed, unbearable pain shoots down your buttocks, to the back of your legs, and down to your feet. You may also experience numbness in the leg or feet, difficulty walking or standing, or even bladder problems and fever. Anything from prolonged sitting on hard surfaces to carrying a large wallet can cause sciatica. Herniated disks, muscular pressure, and spinal stenosis (narrowing of the space in the spinal column through which the nerve extends) are possible causes as well.
Sciatica mostly affects people ages twenty-five to forty-five, most often the result of sudden twisting movements or the improper lifting of heavy objects. There is a condition in Chinese medicine known as painful obstruction syndrome, which describes a situation in which the energy meridians and blood vessels become compressed, blocking the flow of energy and blood and causing severe pain. Sciatica is one such painful obstruction syndrome, often caused by dampness in addition to energy and blood constriction.
In Chinese medicine, there are further differentiations of dampness-related painful obstruction, such as dampness and cold, dampness and wind, and dampness and heat classifications.
We’ve treated many acute and chronic sciatica conditions using acupuncture and herbal therapy with good results. Acupuncture is effective for all kinds of pain, but particularly for sciatica. Our approach is to unblock the stagnation, promoting the flow of energy and blood.
