sciatic nerve dysfunction

sciatic nerve dysfunction

Sciatic nerve neuropathy Neurology A mononeuropathy caused by sciatic nerve injury, which may be accompanied by sciatica, a descriptor for pain along the sciatic nerve Etiology Pelvic fracture, gunshot, trauma to butt or thigh, IM injections, prolonged sitting on butt, systemic disease with polyneuropathy–eg, diabetic neuropathy, polyarteritis nodosa, local pressure–tumor, abscess, bleeding, idiopathic, mechanical factors with regional ischemia, ruptured lumbar disk linked to sedentary lifestyle, improper lifting, old age, obesity Clinical ↓ ability to flex knee, ↓ movement of foot and toes, paresthesias in leg, sciatica Diagnosis Physical exam, MRI, CT, nerve conduction velocity test, EMG, bone scan, myelography Management Conservative–eg, NSAIDs, heat, massage, muscle relaxants, exercise program; interventional–eg, diskectomy, laminectomy ± chymopapain, spinal fusion.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.