Common causes for back and leg pains are sciatica, spinal stenosis, hardening of the arteries, etc. Such hardening of arteries is medically termed as arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis. You could recover faster from back and leg pain and also take measures to avoid such pains by having some fundamental knowledge of such causes.
The sciatic nerve that runs from the pelvis through the hip and buttock area, down the back of both the legs, is the longest nerve in our body. This crucial nerve controls the movement of the leg muscles and provides the feeling sensation in the lower part of the body. Sciatica is the pain that occurs along the nerve path. As such, sciatica pain could manifest anywhere in the lower back or buttock or leg. However, sciatica is not the actual disorder. It is usually an indicator for the real problem, which could be disc herniation, etc. In most cases, even acute sciatica due to a trapped nerve in the back and leg does not last for more than two months. Pain relievers, application of ice and hot pads and physiotherapy are more than enough for speedy recovery from sciatica. Only in rare cases is surgery resorted to for relieving the pressure on the nerve in cases of chronic pain or possible disability.
When one or more areas in the spine narrow, it is called spinal stenosis. Such narrowing tends to exert pressure both on the spinal chord and on the nerves that are situated in the compressed areas. Spinal stenosis normally leads to cramps and pain in the back, neck, shoulder, arms and legs, as well as numbness in these areas. In extreme cases, bladder or bowel functionality could also be affected. Physiotherapy or a brace support invariably brings relief. However, surgery might be warranted in certain situations to create more space in the compressed areas.
In a healthy human being, the arteries that carry blood containing oxygen and other nutrients that are vital to the human body are elastic, strong and quite flexible. However, over the years, the artery walls tend to become thicker and stiffer due to continuous pressure. As a consequence, the blood flow is restricted. This is medically termed as arteriosclerosis or, in common terms, as hardening of the arteries. Old age, high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, etc. are the usual causes for the hardening of the arteries.
Remedies prescribed by the physician depend on the particular causes for arteriosclerosis. Medications for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes are advised for reduction of such ailments to tolerable levels. Anti-platelet and anticoagulant medicines are recommended for suspected blood clotting. However, impeded functioning of the organs or threat to the survival of tissue due to blockages could warrant corrective surgery measures like angioplasty, endarterectomy, thrombolytic therapy, bypass surgery, etc. But you have to remember that these surgical procedures would not be necessary as remedial measures in the case of back and leg pain. At the most, thrombolytic therapy, where the doctor injects a clot-dissolving drug into the artery at the clotting point, might be sufficient.
Knowledge of these ailments and their remedies would be useful when a physician is approached for general understanding of the problem and its treatment. However, such knowledge should be limited to avert undue anxiety about the cause and remedial measures. It is of utmost importance to abide rigorously by the advice of the doctor, when facing back and leg pain.
Sciatica may not be the actual disorder. It is usually an indicator for the real problem