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

Key Takeaways:

• Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated, causing pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness.
• Conditions like herniated discs, spinal stenosis, or repetitive movements at work often trigger sciatica.
• Work-related factors like heavy lifting, poor posture, prolonged sitting, and vibrations from machinery can increase risks.
• Preventative steps include ergonomic assessments, proper lifting techniques, regular movement breaks, and supportive tools like standing desks.
• Managing sciatica with stretches, better posture, hot/cold therapy, and medical treatments can reduce pain and improve function.
• Companies can minimize sciatica's impact by educating employees and creating safer, more ergonomic workplaces.

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. It happens when the sciatic nerve, the body's longest nerve, is irritated or compressed.

If you’ve ever experienced sharp, radiating pain from your lower back to your leg, you might have sciatica. This blog explains sciatica, its symptoms, causes, and risks at work. It also covers how to manage and prevent it, especially at work.

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.

Sciatica is different from regular back pain. It follows the sciatic nerve and can cause pain, tingling, numbness, or 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 feel pins and needles or lose feeling along the sciatic nerve.

Muscle Weakness:

In severe cases, sciatica weakens muscles in the affected leg. This nerve pain in your leg can make it difficult to walk, stand, or carry out daily activities.

Increased Discomfort When Sitting or Standing:

Sitting or standing too long can make sciatica worse. These positions add pressure to your 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 happens when the spinal canal narrows, often with age. It can press on 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 isn’t random. 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, or sitting for long periods without ergonomic support, can compress the discs in the lower spine. This can eventually lead to sciatic 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. This is particularly worse when combined with other common risk factors like obesity.

Repetitive Movements:

On-the-job tasks with continuous and repeated movements can aggravate lower back issues—increasing the likelihood of sciatica. Common repetitive movements include forward bending, twisting, or reaching.

Research shows these factors increase the immediate risk of sciatica. If neglected, it can also lead to more severe, chronic cases.

How to Relieve Sciatica Pain: 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 can improve flexibility and reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve, especially those targeting the:

• lower back
• hip flexors
• hamstrings

Combining these techniques provides significant sciatic nerve pain 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?

Short-term pain relief for sciatic nerve pain may only work for some people. 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. They can provide relief from sciatica nerve pain and improve function.

Epidural Steroid Injections:

Injections into the lower spine can reduce inflammation around the sciatic nerve. They provide temporary relief from sciatica nerve pain and reduction in inflammation. Patients receive injections in sets of three, spaced 2-4 weeks apart. In some cases, these injections provide more prolonged sciatic pain 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. Meanwhile, 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. We want to ensure employees and supervisors know when and how to seek proper medical help.

How To Prevent Work-Related Sciatica: Avoiding Sciatica Pain

Prevention and education are at the core of ErgoScience’s mission. Addressing workplace ergonomics and promoting safe practices can help reduce and avoid sciatica pain and other musculoskeletal disorders. 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. Ergonomic computer vision AI can supplement education so employees can see before and after risk scores. Wearable sensors can reinforce training. These sensors give a vibration feedback every time a 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:

Employers can mitigate some of the risk factors associated with sciatica by providing employees with:

• back supports
• standing desks
• anti-vibration seats in moving equipment (forklifts, trucks, vans)

At ErgoScience, we work closely with companies to tailor prevention programs, like Physical Abilities Testing, to their specific needs. 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 pain can be debilitating, but with proper management and prevention can reduce its impact at work for everyone. 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. If you have sciatica or want to help 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.

Reach out to learn how ErgoScience programs can 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.