Back pain is common. Sciatica is also common. But just because they’re common doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. For most…
Why Does My Back Hurt? You twist to grab something, or wake up one morning, and there it is: Back…
Hearing “you might need back surgery” can feel like a worst-case scenario—but it’s a lot more common than you think.…
If you’ve been limping through your day thinking, “It’s just normal back pain, I’ll be fine,” you’re in big (and…
Back pain is incredibly common, affecting up to 80% of adults at some point in their lives. Most of the…
Sciatica is a painful condition that occurs when the sciatic nerve—the largest nerve in the body—becomes compressed, irritated, or inflamed,…
Originally posted on: https://digestley.com/chronic-pain-from-sciatica-and-pinched-nerves/ Living with chronic pain, especially from conditions like sciatica and pinched nerves, is not just…
Sciatica, characterized by its hallmark symptom of nerve pain shooting down the leg, stands as a significant health concern for…
An estimated 80% of the population experiences back pain– especially lower back pain– at one point or another in their lifetime. While still prevalent, leg pain can stem from back pain, but it occurs less frequently. Leg pain tends to be both bothersome and debilitating, potentially limiting an individual’s daily activities. Patients consulting a spinal care look to a doctor to administer treatment for quick pain relief; more importantly, patients want doctors to provide answers to the cause of their discomfort. But in the end, patients fail to understand that the answer may not be as clear-cut as they believe.
In reality, a wide spectrum of spinal conditions can lead to instances of both back and leg pain.
For example, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) can trigger leg pain, coupled with back pain. PAD refers to the buildup of plaque along artery walls and the subsequent blocking of blood vessels in the legs. This, in turn, restricts the amount of oxygen nourishing the leg muscles and causes discomfort in patients’ legs and back. But combined leg and back pain can also be a harbinger of a life-threatening condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis. This serious condition refers to the formation of blood clots in the deep veins in the body. If the clot breaks free, it can be dangerous and clog a smaller vessel, thereby culminating into a stroke.
Way back in the 10th century, during the Tang Dynasty, a rather barbaric practice of Chinese foot binding of young girls, aged six years or younger, began. The feet of these poor children were wrapped in tight bandages and broken so they couldn’t grow any bigger. Why would such an atrocity be done you may ask? Well, binding the feet to make them appear tiny and delicate was practiced by wealthy families, as only wealthy families could afford to have the women of the house stay at home and not work. When you saw a Chinese woman with very tiny feet, you instantly recognized that as a status symbol representing prestige, beauty and wealth.
If you scoff at the above idea, consider this – the people of Western civilization, all these years later, think nothing of a woman teetering on heels so spindly that she can barely walk and with only a prayer she will not topple over and break a bone, or two, or three.
Women even joke about their infatuation with high heels – they don’t care how much pain and suffering they have to endure, because, after all, stilettos transcend them into a femme fatale. Even if women are short in stature, heels give them a commanding presence. Heels are a boost to any woman’s ego because suddenly their legs look long and shapely as opposed to short-heeled, sensible shoes which make them feel short and dowdy.