Sciatica or Sciatica neuralgia is a common medical condition you can get with the disruption of sciatic nerve functionality. One can experience sciatica due to sciatic nerve compression and inflammation. However, different treatments are available for this condition, and you can also visit an East Texas Family Chiropractic center to find a lasting solution. 

The sciatica nerve includes the peripheral nerve bundle that covers the lower lumbar and runs through the pelvis to the back of your legs. This peripheral nerve bundle is responsible for motor and sensory signals that go to your muscles into your lower legs and thighs. You get sciatica neuralgia when your sciatic nerve does not function properly.

Both women and men may report problems of urinary problems, including frequency or urgency. Men will often report erectile dysfunction that is not responsive to traditional erectile dysfunction treatments. Women may report painful sex and other sexual dysfunctions.

What Are the Symptoms of the Sciatica Neuralgia?

The most common symptom is pain, but it can also present different symptoms. With this condition, one can experience pain in the lower back, lower leg, and posterior thigh. Many also experience buttock pain. The sciatic nerve also includes the tibial nerve and the fibular nerve. The ankle movement of the body relies on these nerves. Hence, poorly functioned nerves can impact the walking experience. 

For many people, numerous consultations with urologists resulted in looking for a problem that a urologist treats. For many people, this is the right direction. For the people that we see in our offices, this was not the right direction as indicated by this person’s continued symptoms and a history that can suggest pudendal nerve entrapment may be occurring.

What Causes Sciatica Neuralgia? 

One can have this condition when the sciatica nerve gets pinched. It happens due to the overgrowth of the bone and a herniated disk in the spine. Also, some diseases, including diabetes, can impact the nerve, resulting in this condition. Some risk factors are age, occupation, obesity, diabetes, and prolonged sitting. However, you can minimize the risk with regular exercise, maintaining good posture while sitting, and taking proper positions when doing different works. Avoid standing for long hours and put more pressure on your leg when lifting anything. In addition, avoid twisting and lifting at the same time.  Avoid putting extra pressure on your body and take assistance whenever needed.

Based on the examination, it can be realistically determined that your symptoms of pain, dysfunction, difficulty walking, and the other things you mentioned are being caused by pelvic instability and sacral instability causing compression of your pudendal nerve, we would like to begin treatment based on pudendal nerve entrapment.

What Is the Treatment? 

All the above symptoms warrant a medical visit. You can also take the help of an experienced East Texas Family Chiropractic practitioner to improve them. However, the medical professional might ask MRI to know the exact cause, and then the physician can start the treatment. Mild conditions will require physical therapy, injections, and medications. Severe sciatica will demand more attention, including surgical intervention. 

One of the reasons that Pudendal neuralgia (pudendal nerve pain) is underdiagnosed and inappropriately treated is because it is easily confused with other problems. In the illustration below we can see the route of the pudendal nerve and how closely it passes by and through other structures that can be blamed for symptoms. Namely the sacrum.

Can Sciatica Cause Pudendal Neuralgia

Yes, sciatica can cause pudendal neuralgia in some conditions. Pudendal Neuralgia causes chronic pelvic pain that you might get due to damaged and irritated pudendal nerve. But you can also have this condition with chronic sciatica.

The greater sciatic foramen (opening) is at the rear of the pelvis. The opening is formed by the sacrotuberous and sacrospinous ligaments. The piriformis muscle passes through the foramen as well. As you can see we have piriformis muscle again interacting with the pudendal nerve in a confined space.

Pudendal Neuralgia causes shooting, burning, and stabbing pain. The patient can feel pain in the buttock, genital region, and perineum. Also, the pain will be intense while sitting.

The pudendal nerve covers the back of the pelvis to all the skin and muscles in the genital area that touches the seat when you ride a bike. Hence, you will feel pain in that area due to pudendal nerve damage. The nerve not only controls your anus and genitals but also manages your sphincter muscles that help you poop and pee. Therefore, nerve damage will impact the quality of your life. 

You can treat this condition with chiropractic treatment, medication, lifestyle changes, physical therapy, and surgery.

The pudendal nerve then courses in the pudendal or Alcock canal (an area in the pelvis that the internal pudendal artery, internal pudendal veins, and the pudendal nerve pass. It is easy to see why pelvic instability could cause significant dysfunction in blood flow to an out of the area).