What is Sciatica?: Understanding, Managing, and Preventing This Common Condition

Understanding, Managing, and Preventing This Common Condition
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What is Sciatica?: Understanding, Managing, and Preventing This Common Condition

Sciatica is a term that often stirs up a lot of discomfort, both figuratively and literally. While Sciatica affects millions worldwide, it isn’t a disease but a set of symptoms caused by irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body. If you’ve ever experienced sharp, radiating pain running from your lower back down to your leg, you may have experienced sciatica. This blog will break down sciatica, its symptoms, causes, work-related risk factors, and how to manage and prevent it—especially in work environments.

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a nerve-related issue originating from the lower spine. It affects the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down each leg. When this nerve is pinched or compressed, it can lead to pain that radiates from your lower back, through the buttocks, and down one or both legs. Unlike typical back pain, sciatica strictly follows the path of the sciatic nerve, often causing a unique mix of pain, tingling, numbness, or even weakness.

At ErgoScience, we frequently encounter sciatica among workers in physically demanding jobs or, interestingly, even those with sedentary roles. Understanding what triggers sciatica and how to manage it is crucial for maintaining a productive, comfortable workforce.

What Are the Symptoms of Sciatica?

Sciatica symptoms can vary widely in intensity and type, but common symptoms include:

Radiating Pain:

This is the hallmark of sciatica—pain that starts in the lower back or buttock and travels down the back of the leg. The pain can range from mild to sharp, shooting, or even burning.

Numbness and Tingling:

Many people experience a pins-and-needles sensation or a loss of feeling along the path of the sciatic nerve.

Muscle Weakness:

In severe cases, sciatica weakens muscles in the affected leg, making it difficult to walk, stand, or carry out daily activities.

Increased Discomfort When Sitting or Standing:

Both prolonged sitting and standing can worsen sciatica symptoms, as these positions place additional pressure on the lower back and sciatic nerve.

Sciatica can be incredibly uncomfortable and distracting, affecting personal and professional life. While many individuals experience short-term symptoms, others may deal with chronic pain that requires ongoing management.

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is often a symptom of an underlying condition that compresses or irritates the sciatic nerve. Common causes include:

Herniated or Bulging Discs:

This is one of the most frequent causes of sciatica. When a spinal disc's soft, gel-like center pushes out, it can press on the sciatic nerve.

Spinal Stenosis:

This is the narrowing of the spinal canal, which often increases with aging and can compress the nerves, including the sciatic nerve.

Degenerative Disc Disease:

The spinal discs can wear down over time, leading to nerve compression.

Spondylolisthesis:

Occurs when one vertebra slips over another, which can pinch the sciatic nerve.

Trauma or Injury:

Any direct trauma to the lower back or pelvis can lead to sciatic nerve irritation.

While these causes are typically related to physical conditions, risk factors such as age, obesity, diabetes, and occupation can increase susceptibility to sciatica. At ErgoScience, we focus our programs on workplace injury prevention and proactivity. Understanding these root causes helps us develop targeted solutions for the workplace.

What Are The Work-Related Risk Factors for Sciatica?

Sciatica doesn’t just strike randomly; certain job-related factors can elevate the risk, particularly if tasks require physical exertion or repetitive movement. Here are some of the primary work-related risks for developing sciatica:

Heavy Lifting:

Jobs that involve lifting heavy objects, bending, or twisting increase the strain on the lower back. This strain can cause herniated discs or other conditions that cause sciatica. Occupations like warehousing, transportation, construction, and food and beverage distribution are particularly vulnerable.

Prolonged Sitting:

Sedentary roles, especially those involving sitting for long periods without ergonomic support, can compress the discs in the lower spine, leading to nerve irritation. Office workers need proper posture, ergonomics, and supportive chairs to avoid being at high risk.

Prolonged Forward Bending:

Forward bending causes pressure on the front of intervertebral discs and tends to push the disc backwards. This constant pressure can lead to a herniated disc which in turn can lead to sciatica.

Whole-Body Vibration:

Operating heavy machinery or power tools subjects the body to vibrations that can aggravate the sciatic nerve, particularly when combined with other common risk factors like obesity.

Repetitive Movements:

On-the-job tasks that require continuous and repeated forward bending, twisting, or reaching can aggravate lower back issues, increasing the likelihood of sciatica.

 

Research shows that these factors not only increase the immediate risk of sciatica but, over time, if left neglected, can also lead to more severe, chronic cases.

How Can You Manage Sciatica Without Medical Treatment?

Not every case of sciatica requires medical intervention. For many, simple self-care techniques can help alleviate pain and prevent it from worsening. Here are some non-medical strategies that can be effective:

1. Take Frequent Breaks:

If you work a sedentary job, stand up and walk around every 30-60 minutes to relieve pressure on your lower back.

2. Improve Your Posture:

Sitting up straight, keeping your shoulders aligned, and avoiding slouching can help reduce lower back stress.

3. Use Hot and Cold Therapy:

Applying heat can relax muscles and increase blood flow, while cold packs can reduce inflammation. Alternating between the two can provide relief.

4. Exercise and Stretch:

Gentle exercises and stretches, especially those targeting the lower back, hip flexors, and hamstrings, can improve flexibility and reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Combining these techniques provides significant relief for many. Educating employees on these practices is part of EroScience’s commitment to reducing work-related injuries.

What Are The Medical Treatments for Sciatica?

For those with persistent or severe sciatica, medical treatments may be necessary. Medical interventions focus on reducing pain and addressing the underlying cause of nerve compression. Common medical treatments include:

Physical Therapy:

Exercises tailored to stretch and strengthen the muscles supporting the core and lower spine can alleviate pain and improve function.

Epidural Steroid Injections:

Injections into the lower spine can reduce inflammation around the sciatic nerve, providing temporary relief of pain and reduction in inflammation. These injections are often delivered in sets of three, with one injection about every 2-4 weeks apart.  In some cases these injections provide more prolonged relief.

Prolotherapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy:

These regenerative therapies stimulate natural healing. Prolotherapy uses dextrose to initiate an inflammatory response that encourages tissue repair, while PRP uses the patient’s blood to promote healing.

MLS Laser Therapy:

This non-invasive laser treatment can reduce inflammation and promote tissue healing at a cellular level.

Choosing the proper treatment depends on the severity of the condition, the patient’s overall health, and lifestyle factors. ErgoScience works with clients to provide education on these options, ensuring employees and supervisors understand the importance of timely and appropriate medical intervention if needed.

How To Prevent Work-Related Sciatica?

Prevention and education are at the core of ErgoScience’s mission. By addressing workplace ergonomics and promoting safe practices, we can help reduce the incidence of sciatica and other musculoskeletal issues. Here are some strategies for preventing work-related sciatica:

1. Ergonomic Assessments:

Regular ergonomic assessments can help identify risk factors in the workplace. Adjusting chair height, monitoring position, and using ergonomic office equipment can make a huge difference for desk workers. In the industrial environment countermeasures that involve reducing the loads lifted or sustained awkward postures are important.  Countermeasures can include the workstation or work tools.

2. Encourage Proper Lifting Techniques:

Educating employees on proper lifting techniques can reduce back strain and prevent sciatica. Education can be supplemented by ergonomic computer vision AI so that employees can see before and after risk scores.  Training can be reinforced with wearable sensors that give a vibration feedback every time worker exceeds a safe threshold for bending.

3. Provide Movement Breaks:

Supervisors need to encourage employees to take short, frequent breaks. Movement helps alleviate back strain from prolonged sitting, prolonged forward bending, or repetitive movements.

4. Implement Supportive Tools:

Providing employees with back supports, standing desks, or anti-vibration seats in moving equipment (forklifts, trucks, vans) can mitigate some of the risk factors associated with sciatica.

At ErgoScience, we work closely with companies to tailor prevention programs to their specific needs, ensuring that we equip employees with the knowledge and tools to reduce their risk of injury. When you educate and involve employees in the solution, true injury prevention magic happens.

Why Does Workplace Sciatica Prevention Matter?

Sciatica can be debilitating, but with proper management and preventive measures, companies, supervisors, and employees can all help significantly minimize its impact on the workforce. At ErgoScience, we help companies create safer, more productive work environments by providing evidence-based injury-prevention solutions and education. Whether you’re dealing with sciatica or looking for ways to support employees with musculoskeletal issues, a proactive approach is vital. Our solutions decrease work-related MSDs by 50-75% and our client realize an average 11:1 ROI.

Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in learning more about how ErgoScience’s programs can help reduce the risk of work-related sciatica and other injuries. Our team is ready to assist you in creating a healthier, more ergonomic workplace.

Contact us.

 

 

Picture of Deborah Lechner

Deborah Lechner

Deborah Lechner, ErgoScience President, combines an extensive research background with 25-plus years of clinical experience. Under her leadership, ErgoScience continues to use the science of work to improve workplace safety, productivity and profitability.
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