Can Shingles Cause Sciatica

Therefore careful history taking with respect to the exact nature of the pain and sensory changes is needed to differentiate between herpes zoster infection and radiculopathy if no rash is evident.

Can shingles cause sciatica.

The chickenpox herpes zoster virus causes shingles. Risk factors for sciatica include. Medication to alleviate pain physical therapy and bed rest are treatments for sciatica. There are several reports that have described the differential diagnosis between herpes zoster infection and sciatica of lumbar spine origin.

Shingles is caused by the herpes varicella zoster virus the virus known to cause chickenpox after a person recovers from. Inside a spinal nerve then surfaced as sciatica 30 years later. Age related changes in the spine such as herniated disks and bone spurs are the most common causes of sciatica. I had chickenpox as a child and a mild case of shingles in 1992.

I m a 70 year old healthy female. Shingles other shingles symptoms include headache fever nausea and body aches. 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. There s no cure but treatments can ease symptoms.

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. 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. Causes of sciatica. The risk of postherpetic neuralgia increases with age primarily affecting people older than 60.

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. Phn is a persistent nerve pain that can occur as a result of shingles. The area can become so sensitive that even wearing a soft undershirt can cause pain as the cloth rubs against the chest. For most people postherpetic neuralgia improves over time.

A variety of problems can put the squeeze on your sciatic nerve. Herniated slipped discs between the vertebrae pressing on the. 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.