The Washington times., 1935-11-12
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Health
Treat tnent of
Sciahca
By LOGAN CLENDENING, M. D

Sciatica may be defined as a
kind Of backache, although the
pain, strictly speaking, is not con.
fined to the back, but to the lower
pelvic region and down the back
of the legs.
This Is nothing more than to
say that the pain follows the
course Of the sciatic nerve, and,
indeed, the disease Is nothing else
but a neuritis or neuralgia of that
nerve.
1t is the largest nerve trunk in
the body, and is in close proxima-
ton with many bony structures
which might make pressure on it
such as the great trochanter Of
the femur, or thigh bone, and the
tuberosity Of the iSchium, the
pelvic bone on which we sit.
These bony contiguities may
have considerable to do with pro-
duction Of pain in the nerve.
Old Disease
It is by no means a new disease.
Shakespeare must have had it be-
cause he refers to it several times.
In Measure for Measure, for in
stance, How now, which of your
hips has the most profound sci.
atica?" and in "Timon of Athens
there is q curse: Thou cold sci
atica, cripple our Senators.
AS medical knowledge Of the
subject advanced, it became evi,
dent that Sciatica, like any nerve
pain, could be due to q great
many different causes.
Displacement or Inflammation
of the bones has been mentioned,
muscular disease, irritation Of the
nerve itself, general conditions of
the arteries, diabetes, hernias,
mental and nervous conditions.
In order to prescribe properly
for sciatica, we must know the
cause and, therefore, any case Of
this kind deserves an extremely
thorough examination, and may
require all the agents in the dag
noStic field.
BY far the commonest form of
Sciatica, however, is a simple
chronic neuralgia. It is extracrdi-
narily painful and disabling, and
although patients who have even
extreme cases may not be able to
show any abnormal signs in the
muscles or bones, that does not
prevent it from being a real and
crippling disorder.
Infection
Probably the largest number of
these cases are due to focal infec
ton elsewhere in the body; either
the tonSils are diseased, or q
tooth, or some other structure is
poisoning the nerve.
In treatment, these foci Of in.
fection should be cleared up first
After that methods of physical
therapy are most needed-the ap.
plication of heat and cold, mas.
sage, electrical treatment with di.
athermy. There is no indication
for any change of diet, as diet
makes no difference either one
way or the other. 1t neither
causes nor cures Sciatica, and the
patient with SciaJica should at
least have the comfort of eating
anything that he wants.
Injections into the nerve of
analgesic substances can be done
by physicians who are experienced
in that work, and are usually Gu
rative.
Editors Note-Six pamphlets
by DR.. Clendening can now be OBJ
tanned by sending 10 cents in
coin, for each, and a Self-addressed
envelope stamped with a Scent
stamp, to DR.. Logan Clendening,
in care Of this paper. The pam
phlets are: Indigestion and Con-
stipation," Reducing and Gain
ing" Infant Feeding" "Instruc-
tions for the Treatment of Dia-
betes," Feminine Hygiene" and
The Care of the Hair and Skin."
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