Sciatica
Sciatica is a symptom of a problem with the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It controls muscles in the back of your knee and lower leg and provides feeling to the back of your thigh, part of your lower leg, and the sole of your foot. When you have sciatica, you have pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling. It can start in the lower back and extend down your leg to your calf, foot, or even your toes. It's usually on only one side of your body.
Causes of sciatica include:
- A ruptured intervertebral disk
- Narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the nerve, called spinal stenosis
- An injury such as a pelvic fracture.
In many cases no cause can be found.
Sometimes sciatica goes away on its own. Treatment, if needed, depends on the cause of the problem. It may include exercises, medicines, and surgery.
WARNING: All medicines, drugs, plants, chemicals or medicial precedures below are for historical reference only. Many of these treatments are now known to be harmful and possibly fatal. Do not consume any plant, chemical, drug or otherwise without first consulting a licensed physician that practices medine in the appropriate field.
Physician's Therapeutics Memoranda on Sciatica
SCIATICA
General treatment for neuralgia. Hypodermatic iniections of atropine in heroic doses (1-20 grain) is highly recommended by some to cut short the attack. Others advise acupuncture or local massage or the ether spray, applied daily, or the hypodermatic use of morphine or of chloroform. In any case the hot water bottle and liniments of chloroform, aconite, methyl salicylate and menthol are remedies of value.1
General treatment for neuralgia. Hypodermatic iniections of atropine in heroic doses (1-20 grain) is highly recommended by some to cut short the attack. Others advise acupuncture or local massage or the ether spray, applied daily, or the hypodermatic use of morphine or of chloroform. In any case the hot water bottle and liniments of chloroform, aconite, methyl salicylate and menthol are remedies of value.1
References
1) Nelson, Baker & Co., 1904, Physician's Handy Book of Materia Medica and Therapeustics, Detroit, Michigan.