Abstract

Dr. Madhavi Nagrare* and Dr. Swapnil Singhai

ABSTRACT

Sciatica is a neuralgic pain which begins from lumbar region and radiates downwards to buttock, posterior aspect of thigh, calf and to the outer boarder of foot. In about 90% of cases sciatica is caused by a herniated disc with nerve root compression, but lumbar canal stenosis and less often tumors are possible causes. A few personal and occupational risk factors for sciatica are age, height, mental stress, cigarette smoking and exposure to vibration from vehicles. Sciatica is mainly diagnosed by history taking and physical examination. The peak incidence is between middle-old aged and is higher in men than women. The most applied clinical examination is the straight leg raising test or Lasègue?s sign. Conservative treatment for sciatica is primarily aimed at pain reduction, either by analgesics or by reducing pressure on the nerve root. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, epidural injections of steroid might be effective in patients with acute sciatica. In Ayurveda, the symptoms, etiopathogenesis resembles with Gridhrasi. Treatment includes sequential administration of snehana, swedana, basti, sira vyadha, agni karma and certain shaman yogas.