Can Shingles Cause Sciatica

Age related changes in the spine such as herniated disks and bone spurs are the most common causes of sciatica.

Can shingles cause sciatica.

The risk of postherpetic neuralgia increases with age primarily affecting people older than 60. For most people postherpetic neuralgia improves over time. There s no cure but treatments can ease symptoms. The area can become so sensitive that even wearing a soft undershirt can cause pain as the cloth rubs against the chest.

In other words i think in my case and perhaps in many others sciatica is just a different manifestation of shingles. Risk factors for sciatica include. Funny you should comment on the sciatica i had a terrible few days of sciatica and then a week later shingles came on i think its something to do with the nerves and the stress of the pain that can bring it out. The chickenpox herpes zoster virus causes shingles.

According to the national institutes of health the name shingles comes from the latin word cingulum which means belt or girdle and connotes the virus preference for the back. There are several reports that have described the differential diagnosis between herpes zoster infection and sciatica of lumbar spine origin. Inside a spinal nerve then surfaced as sciatica 30 years later. Causes of sciatica.

Phn is a persistent nerve pain that can occur as a result of shingles. Sprenger de rover reported that the absence of abnormal mri findings in the lumbar spine can rule out sciatica of lumbar spine origin. Ive had a slipped disc and had an operation 3 years ago to shave away the disc that was pressing on the nerve 3 yrs later i get terrible sciatica some shooting pains and then. Applying heat to the virus for lengthy periods inactivated it just as applying heat to a viral or bacterial respiratory infection clears it more quickly.

Shingles a common name for herpes zoster results from reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox within sensory nerve roots of the back and spine. Shingles other shingles symptoms include headache fever nausea and body aches. I had chickenpox as a child and a mild case of shingles in 1992. By increasing the stress on your spine excess body weight can contribute to the spinal changes that trigger sciatica.

Shingles is caused by the herpes varicella zoster virus the virus known to cause chickenpox after a person recovers from. Some of the more common culprits include. Herniated slipped discs between the vertebrae pressing on the. Medication to alleviate pain physical therapy and bed rest are treatments for sciatica.