Sciatica disability is the unfortunate result of long-term severe radicular pain in the lower back and legs. Many people eventually become partially or totally disabled due to their chronic sciatica. Like many dorsopathy syndromes, sciatic nerve pain is known to resist treatment and continue for many years, while taking a huge toll on the lives of affected patients.
This important essay discusses why disability results in many sciatica sufferers and how it may be proactively prevented. This article is not geared towards helping a patient to achieve the status of legal disability to collect money. In fact, it is focused on the exact opposite path: Preventing the need to surrender to the pain, unless there is truly no other way.
Chronic Sciatic Nerve Pain Can Cause Disability
Most people who endure relentless pain are worn down by the experience, mind and body. While it is impossible to generalize about the specific nature of every individual painful complaint, I have seen this pattern emerge in many patients time and time again:
Patient was diagnosed with some structural source of pain, such as a herniated disc or osteoarthritis. Patient attempted a variety of sciatica treatments, yet enjoyed only partial or temporary relief. As the years pass, the pain becomes a constant companion and the effects generally begin to control the patient’s life.
Doctors seem to have many ideas, but no solutions. The patient gets completely fed up with the medical system in general, especially due to the prevalence of symptomatic sciatica treatments, instead of real cures made available.
Patient eventually acquiesces to a life spent in pain and begins the decent into disability. The patient has many things they can not do, out of fear of a recurrence of pain. They become frustrated emotionally and very limited physically.
Patient considers sciatica surgery, despite the risks and poor curative statistics. Some patients go through with the operation and many regret it. They still have pain, but now they are even more functionally disabled and this damage is permanent. Patients who decide against surgery still have not made any progress and also continue to suffer.
Preventing Sciatica Disability
The mind and body interact constantly in all matters of health, injury and disease. It is vital to maintain a positive outlook about life, even while the pain struggles to control your world. Giving up and giving in to the pain seems like an inevitability, but it can be avoided.
The most important factors to prevent disability are taking an active role in your own care and doing everything in your power to avoid becoming a back pain statistic. Do not be led around from one unsuccessful treatment to another. Be proactive! Ask questions and demand answers. Do independent research to uncover some of the potential reasons why your pain has not resolved, despite a variety of care practices.
If you can not find a solution using traditional medical therapy, consider learning more about alternative medicine for sciatica. If this approach is not right for you, then look into the realm of complementary medicine. There is usually an answer for those who continue to look for it. At least being proactive will empower you, compared to acquiescing to being victimized without hope.
Sciatica Disability Guide
Learning to be in pain takes time, so disability is actually a learned process. Do not give in to the pain, since there is almost always a cure. You just need to look in the right place to find it and many doctors will make you stray far from your destination, by recommending treatments designed to cure a particular condition, while all along, your pain might be misdiagnosed. It happened to me on more than one occasion.
I know how hard it is to be in pain every day and every night. It can literally drain the life out of even the most spirited individual. However, you must not lose hope. Hope is all you might have through the worst of times and hope will eventually lead you to a cure if you continue to search. The only way to become truly beaten is to accept defeat. In the end, I hope that you will triumph and your struggle will be worth everything.
