When lower back pains tend to go down a leg and often feel like electric shocks, chances are you suffer from sciatica. The nerve is clearly flaring up and the underlying medical condition is obvious – you need to seek help from a doctor.
Sciatica is affection, but it is not always a medical diagnosis. However, the name refers to the pain associated with the sciatic nerve when targeted by inflammation. This is only the symptom of an underlying medical condition.
The nerve is the longest in the body and can be as thick as a finger. It starts around the lower back, goes through the buttocks and each leg. It goes all the way to your toes – simply put, it spreads over more than half of your body.
Now, when you feel like you can barely move, is there a disability for sciatica? Can you claim benefits from it?
Is sciatica a disability?
Disability for sciatica is hard to determine. Most people are unable to get disability benefits for this affection. It can and will improve overtime, especially if you follow the doctor’s advice and make some lifestyle changes too. In more severe cases, sciatica can be treated with surgery, but these cases are rare. Generally speaking, sciatica may fall in a category that can lead to disability benefits. It could be a disability, but the fact that it improves with a few lifestyle changes makes patients less likely to get any benefits. Those who may not be able to get to work should notify their employers.
Disability for sciatica
The truth is about 80% of all people experience it at some point because compressing this nerve is relatively simple. If you have a mild case, it will go away in no time with a bit of rest. But if it persists, it needs some lifestyle changes and perhaps some medication too.
Now, when it comes to disabilities, a disability is basically a person with mental or physical impairment. This impairment will severely limit major life activities – from working or walking to being able to make decisions alone.
Then, is sciatica a disability? As a general rule of thumb, sciatica is less likely to be classified as a disability. It falls in a category that covers disability, but it would be hard to become eligible for disability benefits.
Sure, there are cases when it could be defined as one. It should come with a crippling pain that makes walking a challenge. Plus, other impairing conditions will contribute to the classification. But other than that, sciatica is easy to be treated and symptoms get better in the long run anyway.
Simply put, patients would have to get a professional medical evaluation from their doctors in order to prove that they can claim benefits due to being unable to work. Such cases are quite rare and severe – they are usually handled with surgery.
Understanding pseudo sciatica
Pseudo sciatica is a term given to the piriformis affection. Conditions are quite similar, but the pain location is different. The piriformis muscle is located in the buttocks, very close to the sciatic nerve. This is why the two terms are used interchangeably.
When affected, the piriformis muscle can also put some pressure on the sciatic nerve. The pain will inevitably occur around the hips and buttocks. With time, it will aggravate and can go further down in one or both legs.
The so-called pseudo sciatica starts with a mild pain that aggravates. With time, you will face difficulty while sitting down or climbing stairs. Even a simple hip movement can be problematic and may lead to intense pains.
As you sit down, you will feel like you need to lean towards one side or the other because of the pain. Muscular spasms will inevitably kick in as well. Then, just like sciatica, it is hard to classify pseudo sciatica as a disability.
Of course, just like for any other affection, you would have to seek a solution. Make sure you see a doctor and get treatment. Do it as quickly as possible or the affection will aggravate. The doctor will be able to advise you accordingly.
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