COMPLICATIONS OF SCIATICA

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF SCIATICA

a) Partial or complete loss of leg movement
b) Partial or complete loss of sensation in the leg
c) Recurrent or unnoticed injury to the leg
d) Side effects of medications
e) Loss of bowel or bladder function

Partial or complete loss of leg movement

. Partial damage to the nerve may demonstrate weakness of knee flexion (bending), weakness of foot movements, difficulty bending the foot inward (inversion), or bending the foot down (plantar flexion). A person's reflexes may be abnormal, with weak or absent ankle-jerk reflex. Several different tests can be performed to find the cause of sciatic nerve dysfunction.

Partial or complete loss of sensation in the leg
Abnormal sensations such as tingling or numbness which may be due from remaining in the same seated or standing position for a long time, injury to a nerve (eg: a low back injury can cause numbness or tingling down the back of the leg), pressure on the spinal nerves (eg: herniated disc) or pressure on peripheral nerves from enlarged blood vessels, tumors, scar tissue or infection.

Side Effects of Medications
Regular use of NSAIDS may be hazardous as it has been associated with the following side effects:
· Ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding. This is the major danger with long-term use of NSAIDs. (Indomethacin poses a higher risk than many others for this adverse effect.)
· Increased blood pressure. Most NSAIDs appear to pose this risk, with higher risks observed with piroxicam (Feldene), naproxen (Aleve), and indomethacin (Indocin). (Sulindac has the smallest effect and aspirin as no risk.) People with hypertension, severe vascular disease, kidney, or liver problems and those taking diuretics must be closely monitored if they need to take NSAIDs.
· May delay the emptying of the stomach, which could interfere with the actions of other drugs. The elderly are at special risk.
· Dizziness.
· Tinnitus (ringing in the ear).
· Headache.
· Skin rash.
· Depression has also been noted.
· Confusion or bizarre sensation (in some higher-potency NSAIDs, notably indomethacin).
· Possible higher risk for miscarriage (particularly if the NSAID is taken for more than a week or around the time of conception).
· Kidney abnormalities have been reported in people taking NSAIDs, which resolve when the drugs are withdrawn. Any sudden weight gain or swelling should be reported to a physician. Anyone with kidney disease should avoid these drugs.
· There is a small risk for liver abnormalities.

Loss of Bowel or Bladder Function
Urinary continence, as it is better known involves a strong, sudden need to urinate followed by instant bladder contraction and involuntary loss of urine. You don't have enough time between when you recognize the need to urinate and when you actually do urinate. It could be deemed as sudden or temporary arising from bedrest, during the recovery from surgery.