Complications emanating from sciatica may entail a loss of bowel or bladder control, complete or partial loss of sensation in the leg and complete or partial loss of leg movement.

Loss of Bladder or Bowel Function

One complication of sciatica is the loss of bladder or bowel function. An individual’s bladder or bowel function can be affected since the sciatic nerve traverses down the buttock. The likelihood of severe pain due to acute sciatica may seriously affect the bowel and bladder functions that hospitalization may be urgently needed. The more serious cases of sciatica can even cause the patient to undergo surgery to regain the patient’s control of his bladder or bowel function.

Complete or Partial Loss of Sensation in the Leg

One other complication that can occur from sciatica is loss of feeling in the affected leg. The sensation loss can be experienced on the hip, the back of the calf and also on the sole of the foot. Because of the numbness, the leg involved becomes too weak that it experiences movement problem. The loss of sensation along with the leg’s partial loss of movement may entail emergency treatment.

Complete or Partial Loss of Leg Movement

Another sciatica complication that again affects the leg is the inability to move the leg. Sciatica can affect the nerve that governs the function of the back of the leg muscles and this can lead to problems where the leg muscle do not move or work properly. The muscle function problem can be complete or partial. A total loss of ability to move the muscle in the leg is termed paralysis of the legs.

Emily Farish – Board Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist in Spokane, WA