Pain that travels from the lower back or from the hip through the back part of the thigh to the lower part of the leg or to the foot is usually very indicative of sciatica.

Sciatic nerve happens to be the longest nerve in our body. It starts from our spinal cord in the lower back and passes down through the hip into the back area of the lower leg When we say 'Sciatica' we refer to the pain in this sciatic nerve. As this nerve passes down through the pelvis, hip and to the backside of the lower leg, the sciatica pain whenever it occurs, is felt in the areas through which it passes. This nerve controls many muscles of the lower leg and also controls the sensation of thigh, leg and feet.

Sciatica pain can range from a simple dull ache to severe electric like shocks. The pain can at times be so severe that the patient may hardly be able to move out of bed. Usually patients complain of pain while walking or standing but at times reverse of this happens, the pain is worse while lying down in a normal sleeping or lying posture and patient has no other option other than to stand or walk or lie in certain uncomfortable posture Patients with sciatica may suffer from additional symptoms such as numbness and weakness along the course of nerve, tingling and pins and needles feeling (mostly in the foot or toes) and loss of bladder and bowel control ( this an emergency medical condition).

Sciatica is not a disease in itself but a symptom of the sciatic nerve being irritated or compressed ('pinched' as one may call it in a layman?s language) along its course. The most common place for this to occur is the lower part of the spine where the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve are compressed by a prolapsed (slipped) disc. Pinching of the nerve due to a Disc prolapse is the most common cause. Other medical conditions including trauma to the spine, spinal tumors, and spondylolisthesis (slipping of one vertebra over the other) and lumbar vertebral canal stenosis can cause sciatica.

Preventing sciatica
The key to prevent sciatica is to prevent any damage to your lower spine. The following tips can be very helpful if executed properly Exercising regularly This can strengthen back and abdominal muscles, thus preventing damage to your vertebral column.

Good posture
Maintain a good posture while sitting and use an ergonomically designed chair which properly supports your hips and does not press upon your back of the thighs and knees while sitting.

HOMEOPATHY AND SCIATICA
Homeopathy as a natural system of medicine offers distinct advantages to the people who suffer from sciatica. The biggest advantage that homoeopathy offers is that it is able to treat the pain very effectively and is able to rectify the compression or irritation on the sciatic nerve.

Another great benefit of using homoeopathy is that along with the treatment of sciatica homoeopathy also aims at strengthening the patient's constitution in order to prevent further recurrences.