22-year-old Mr Lee has acute pain in his right hip after moving heavy objects. The pain later extends to the shank, which makes it difficult for him to walk and also makes his right leg numb. Mr Lee thinks it is a leg problem so he dresses and massages his shank but it doesn’t help.
It sounds logical to apply treatment to the area of obvious pain. However, the area of pain is not always the root of the problem and Mr Lee’s case is a good example. His leg pain does not represent a problem in the leg. Instead it is caused by sciatica brought on by herniation of the lumbar intervertebral disc with compression of the lumbar nerve.
Sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in human body. It runs though the leg, originating from the lumbar nerve root, extending towards the hip and thigh and branching into the nerves of the shank. It passes over the signals that sends lower limb feeling to the cerebrum and delivers the brain’s control signals to the lower limb in return. When the lumbar nerve root is compressed, the body parts concerned, including the shank, will suffer pain and numbness. Sciatica is commonly caused by pathology of lumbar vertebra, such as herniated disc, lumbar infections and tumors, which can all impose pressure on the lumbar nerve.
As in Mr Lee’s case, the crux of the problem is not in the shank, though it is where the symptoms show. One must examine and define the causes to apply proper and effective treatment for cure.