|
Sciatica Numbness
Why Does Sciatica Numbness Occur?Numbness might be the actual result of nerve compression. While the majority of back pain conditions and virtually all sciatica scenarios suppose some spinal structure to be compressing a nerve root, this is rarely the case. Continued compression of any nerve will cause that nerve to STOP signaling altogether. The result would be numbness...Not pain. Not tingling. Just numbness. While a numb sensation is a part of many sciatica syndromes, it is typically accompanied by tingling and especially pain. These symptoms are not characterized by steady nerve impingement of any type… However, ischemia is responsible for causing all three symptoms, since it is a variable process which can affect large and diverse areas of the body through the simple act of reducing cellular oxygenation. This, and only this, is the actual cause of most sciatica complaints, despite the typical misdiagnoses made to explain the symptoms… Sciatica Numbness ConditionNumbness can be felt in any area served by the sciatic nerve or one of its peripheral branches. This basically opens up the entire lower body to symptomatic expression. Numbness which occurs due to sciatica is typically followed or preceded by tingling and pain (especially afterwards), since this is the normal process of cellular ischemia.Think about when your arm or leg falls asleep from staying in an uncomfortable position for too long. First, you do not realize it has occurred. Then it feels numb. You move around, which stimulates circulation in the affected region. This oxygenates the tissue. The nerves revitalize, causing tingling as signals begin to transmit back and forth. Pain comes next, as tissues struggle to deal with cellular waste products which have not been adequately removed due to the utter lack of blood supply. This is ischemia and it is exactly what causes MOST sciatic nerve pain conditions. However, unlike an arm or leg which has fallen asleep due to improper positioning, this ischemic process is a purposeful syndrome enacted by the subconscious mind, creating what is known as psychosomatic sciatica. Sciatica Numbness AdviceNumbness is scary. I remember losing all feeling in my entire lower back and upper legs on several occasions. I could not even hold myself upright during these events. Of course, my doctors blamed these episodes on my degenerative disc disease and 2 lumbar herniated discs. However, they could not have been more wrong. I struggled for 18 years while enduring a plethora of unsuccessful sciatica treatments, all the while in excruciating agony. Finally, I met Dr. John Sarno, who offered me an explanation which made perfect sense. My pain, like most other dorsopathy patients, had nothing at all to do with the normal and expected degenerative changes in my spine. It was the direct result of an insidious, but virtually harmless psycho-emotional process. Using his knowledge therapy approach, I was able to defeat 18 years of pain in a matter of weeks. Miracle or enlightened science? You tell me…7/2/08 Revised 12/13/09
|
