Sciatica Anatomy – What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica Anatomy

In this video, Mr. Skeleton man, gives us an inner view of the workings of sciatica.

You can see exactly what causes sciatica pain.

Most sciatica pain issues start in the lumbar spine area, around the L4, L5, S1 discs. A disc bulge or herniation in this area, compromises the sciatic nerve as it exits the spine. You can clearly see these in the video.

The Major Cause

The majority of sciatica problems are due to trouble with the discs. Once you know the true cause of your sciatica pain there are a number of things you can do to improve the situation. Chiropractic, inversion therapy, spinal decompression, stretches and exercises are just a few options. Interferential therapy can help with the pain.

Consult with your personal health professional to explore your best options.

The Other Cause – Piriformis  Muscle

Another cause of sciatica, is tightness of the piriformis muscle. If this muscle gets knotted up it can cause pain all down the leg.

Sometimes the sciatic nerve actually goes through the muscle fiber of the piriformis. this situation is not very common, but can cause a lot of pain.

Understanding the Anatomy

Being able to see the anatomy of sciatic issues, can help understand the real cause of the pain.

The second part of the video shows a healthy disc vs a degenerated disc.

Special thanks to Dr George Best for making this video, and thanks to Youtube for allowing the embed code to be available to all.