REMEDIES FOR SCIATICA

Ammonium muriaticum

Severe and long continued sciatica, especially left side, worse while sitting, easier while walking and free from pain while lying down.

Argentum nitricum

Periodical drawing cramplike pains, from the hip down to the knee ; paralytic weakness of the limbs, with emaciation ; during the paroxysm sensation of expansion of the limb ; worse in the morning, but especially after dinner.

Arnica.

From overexertion ; burning, stinging, tearing pains ; numb and bruised feeling in the affected limb ; changes constantly position, as everything on which limb lies feels too hard, especially useful in women during confinement.

Arsenicum album

Typical regularity of the pains, worse at night, and unbearable towards midnight; burning-tearing pains, with great restlessness, obliging the patient to move the limb often, in order to obtain relief, but pains are increased by vigorous motion ; cannot lie on painful side ; great weakness and inclination to lie down ; worse from cold applications, temporarily relieved by warmth ; from staying in cold damp houses, or from sudden suppression of eruptions.

Belladonna

Sciatica, with pain in hip-joint, especially at night, so that he has to change position often ; sensitiveness to the touch, even to the clothing, to the least concussion, and even to stepping of other persons in the room ; worst by the least draught of air ; paroxysms in the afternoon, and last till midnight ; wants to sleep, but cannot ; better from letting the limb hang down, from warmth, after perspiring, and when in an erect posture.

Bryonia

Pain in lumbar region, extending to the thigh, worse by sitting up, by moving, and late in the evening; lies best on painful side ; often relieved by cold water.

Chamomilla

Left side ; drawing pain from the hip to knee, and from tuber ischii to soles of feet ; numb feeling in affected parts after motion ; drawing, tearing, excruciating pains, which become intolerable at night ; worse at night in bed, and from the least motion ; excessive sensibility and irritability of fibre ; the patient acts as if out of his mind.

Cimicifuga

Pain in lumbar region, sacrum, in the whole left leg; the left shoulder and groin pain also, or the pain changes from extremities to abdomen, producing diarrhoea, and sometimes retention of urine ; hysterical tendency ; complication, with ovarian or uterine troubles.

Cocculus

Pain as if the hip was screwed together, or shooting pain, like lightning, down the whole limb ; worse by motion and contact ; sensitive to fresh air ; excessively prostrating ; wretched color of skin ; chilliness, with perspiration and heat of skin ; sleeplessness; great emaciation ; after the paroxysm the parts feel numb as if asleep.

Coffea

Neuralgia of the crural nerve, worse by walking, better by pressure (except at the point of exit of the nerve); pains in paroxysms, tearing stitching, worse afternoon and at night ; great restlessness and sleeplessness.

Colocynthis

Sciatica on right side ; shooting pains in sacral region, so that he must keep perfectly quiet, as every motion aggravates ; stitching-cutting pains from hip to knee, or like lightning from os sacrum to heel, worse evening and at night, with thirst for cold water; pain sets in suddenly, is constant in character, becoming in- tolerable in paroxysms; severe pains causing him to limp, and a numb feeling after the pain; worse from touch, cold, motion, anger, and indignation, better while at perfect rest, and from warm external applications ; tendency to shortening of the tendons.

Eupatorium purp

Severe shooting pains in the course of the left sciatic nerve, producing a palsied sensation, especially after motion ; neuralgia of the right shoulder, or of the right knee, passing over to the left side ; neuralgic pains from below upwards, mostly on left side of back and hip; gnawing in hip-bone, legs feel weak, tired, left leg more.

Euphorbium off

Tearing, stinging, pressing pains, better by motion, worse during rest; paralytic sensation, with difficulty of rising from his seat.

Gnaphalium

Intense pain along the sciatic nerve, following its larger ramifications ; feeling of numbness occasionally taking the place of the sciatic pains, making exercise very fatiguing.

Hypericum

Violent pains and inability to walk, or to stoop after a fall on the coccyx ; the feet feel pithy, as if pricked with needles.

Ignatia

Chronic intermittent sciatica, better in summer, worse in winter ; hammering pain, as if the hip-joint would break to pieces ; chilliness with thirst, followed by heat, especially in the face, without thirst; intermittent pains of an incisive or throbbing character, at tirst tertian, later quotidian; patients of a mild, melancholic tempera- ment.

Iris versicolor

Shooting, burning, laming pains, affecting the posterior femoral muscles, shooting along the left sciatic nerve to foot, greatly aggravated by motion, even moderate one ; shooting-burning pain in right shoulder; complicated at times with gastralgia or enteralgia.

Kali carbonicum

Pain in hip-joint as if bruised ; drawing pain in left thigh; numbness of limb; in cases where quinine has been used to excess.

Kali iodum

Gnawing pain in hip-bones ; severe lacerating pain in thigh and legs ; nightly lacerating in both knees ; twitching in right knee, tearing and darting in posterior surface of right thigh ; tearing above the bend of the knee, and immediately after, also below, worse in the evening, especially when getting into bed, better by motion ; spasmodic contraction of muscles; frequently caused by mercury.

Kali bichromicum.

Males (puis, female); left side, pain running from hip to knee ; wandering erratic pains, sharp pain in knee and hipjoint ; aching in leg, with trembling ; pains come on quickly and subside soon ; jerking-aching pain in hip ; pain relieved by walking and flexing the leg ; worse in hot weather (ign. better in hot weather), by standing, sitting, or lying in bed ; pressure causes the pain to shoot along the entire length of the nerve.

Ledum palustre

The pain runs from the foot upwards; drawing pain in either hip-joint, descending along the posterior surface of the thigh ; pressure in posterior region of the thigh, with sensation of contraction of muscles ; the affected limb is cooler than the remainder of the body; pains worse when getting warm in bed, when touching the parts ; left side more affected with weakness and heaviness of the parts; pains followed by swelling of feet and limbs; extreme tenderness of the soles of the feet ; itching of dorsal surface of feet and of the ankles at night; deficiency of vital heat.

Lycopodium

Chronic cases; burning and stinging pains, with complete intermissions; stiffness and weakness in the affected limb; worse by rest, and slightly alleviated by motion ; painful muscular twitchings; constipation; abdomen bloated, with incarcerated    flatulence ; urine high-colored, turbid, red sandy sediment.

Menyanthes

Stitching contractive pain in the region of hip- joint; cramplike drawing in the anterior portion of thigh when sit- ting ; when sitting, the thighs and legs are spasmodically jerked upwards (sticta) ; pain relieved by motion and pressure, worse even- ing, during rest, and when lying down ; after abuse of quinine.

Mercurius solubilis

Lancinations in hip-joint and in knee, particularly at night and during motion ; drawing and heaviness in lower limbs ; chilliness and dread of cold air.

Mezereum

Darting in hip-joints down to knee ; drawing pain along the whole thigh, leaving a painful weakness, hindering walking; feels as if the flesh were torn from the bones ; sensation of internal heat, surface being cold; worse from touch, motion, evening and night ; better in open air.

Natrum muriaticum

Tensive pain in right hip-joint and knee, of a remittent character ; painful contraction of hamstrings ; limb emaciated ; limb painful to touch ; pains renewed or increased in a recumbent posture, even in daytime, worse towards noon, relieved by heat.

Natrum Sulphuricum

Sciatic pains in some motions, always when getting up from sitting or when turning in bed; can hardly find a position in which the pain in hips and loins is tolerable; relief from changing position does not last long.

Nitric acid

Pain across the buttocks below spine ; hip as if sprained, with limping; restlessness and heaviness and trembling of limbs, especially mornings.

Nux vomica

Drawing-tearing pains from below upwards, relieved by hot water, with stiffness and contraction of the limb ; great pain along the affected limb down into the foot ; sensation of paralysis, with coldness of parts affected ; can lie best on painless side (bry. reverse) ; worse early in the morning and during stool ; constipation.

Phytolacca

Neuralgic pains on the outer side of thigh ; pressing, shooting, drawing aching, worse from motion, pressure, and at night; great lassitude and desire to lie down ; chronic cases of syphilitic origin.

Pulsatilla

Drawing pain, worse toward evening and at night, compelling patient to move the limb constantly ; left-sided sciatica, cannot rest, although motion aggravates ; no thirst, weeps constantly; the worse the pain, the more severe the chills; anorexia.

Ranunculus

Sciatica, especially in women, pains worse by moving about, yet not relieved by lying clown; pains worse in rainy, stormy weather; stitching-burning pains, radiating from the dorsal region of the spine.

Rhus toxicodendron

During advanced course of the affection, especially when caused by exposure to wet, or straining in lifting; stinging, burning, tearing pain, with numbness, formication, and paralytic stiffness of the limb, increasing during rest and when beginning to move, relieved only for a short time by motion ; frequent paroxysms of cramps in calves ; worse in open air, better from dry heat.

Ruta graveolans

The pain is deeply seated as if in the marrow of the bone itself, or as though the bone wei-e broken; the patient is obliged to walk about constantly during the paroxysms, as the pain increases as soon as he sits or lies down ; constant complaining about his sufferings, which are of a burning or corrosive character, worse in damp or cold weather, or from cold applications ; ischias arising from in- juries and contusions.

Salicylic acid

Drawing-shooting pains from behind forwards and downwards to the knees and toes ; burning at the toes as if the feet were in an ant-hill; trouble in ascending, worse at night.

Staphisagria

Aching pain around hip-joint when walking or sitting; pulsating in hip-joint as from beginning suppuration ; legs painfully weak, especially the knees; crural neuralgia, stinging-stitching pains during movement.

Stillingia

Left-sided syphilitic sciatica ; aching pains in the feet, on the insteps, in the hips, legs, left lumbar region; pains in toes and external malleoli; aching pains in back, shooting down the thighs and legs ; periostitis and nodes of the tibia.

Stramonium

Left side more affected ; spasmodic rigidity of lower limbs.

Sulphur

Pain in small of back, stitching drawing on rising from a seat ; tensive pain in hip-joint, especially left one ; drawing, extending down the limb, accompanied by bruised sensation ; heavy feeling of affected limb and numbness as if paral}zed, particularly when walking; more or less rigidity of the knees; swelling of feet in chronic cases.

Tellurium

Sciatica accompanied by sensitiveness of the vertebral column, the pains radiating from the sacrum to the right sciatic nerve.

Viscum album

Severe cases ; metastasis of pain from nape of neck to the buttock, and outside of the thigh ; fearful tearing, shooting, throbbing pains in left side of sacrum, extending to thigh ; sensation as if the flesh of the thigh was torn away with hot pincers ; treat sensitiveness of thigh, slightest touch causing pain ; pains pe- riodic from sacrum into the pelvis, worse in bed, with tearing-shooting pains from above downwards in both thighs, as well as in the upper extremities, with sleeplessness and general prostration.

Zincum metallicum

Violent long-lasting pain about the last lumbar vertebrae; burning along the whole spine ; patient cannot sit at all, must walk about, feet are fidgety ; sensation of stagnation in the blood of the legs ; rheumatic sciatica, worse from being overheated and from exertion.