Sciatica

-- L. A. Rousseau

Lac canimum (6)--- Erratic pains passing from one side to another. Agg. at night, by touch, by movement. Amel. by open air. Pain in the sacral region, extending throughout a limb, disturbing sleep and rest. General aggravation during menses.

Ledum Palustre (6, 30)--- Left sided (non exclusive). Agg. at night, by heat of the bed, by touch, by movement. Amel. by cold foot bath, by application of cold, open air and rest. Pinching pains, drawing in the whole limb, especially in the posterior face of the hip. 
Contraction. Joints of feet painful, deformed, cold to touch. The affected limb is more cold than other parts of the body. Affected joints are white and not red. A good antidote for excess of wine. Rheumatic ground.

Magnesia phos (6) – Right sided. Agg. by immobility, while lying down, by prolonged movement, by cold. Amel. by moderate movement, by heat. Pains coming and going suddenly. Fulgurating pains. Cramps, Paroxysmal attacks which obliges the patient to change position, to stand up, to walk restlessly. Chronic of Colocynthis. Its place is between Arsenic and Colocynthis.

Mezereum (6)---  Amel. in open air, at dawn. Burning, lancinating pains with shivering. Itching, syphilitic ground.

Palladium (6, 30)--- Right side. Agg. at night, by cold, by touch, by movement. Amel. by heat and rest. Very acute pains going from toe to the hip. Proud character, irritable, cannot support contradictions. Pain in the right ovary.

Phosphorus (6, 30) – Left sided (non-exclusive). Agg. at night, lying on the painful side, by cold, morning and evening. Amel. while eating; by rest, being magnetized. General Agg. by hot drinks and mental work.

Phytolacca (6, 30) --- Agg. at night, after sleep, by movement, by pressure, by humid cold. Amel by lying down, by rest and by heat. Sudden erratic pains, as if from electric shocks, often in the external or posterior face of the hip. Chronic sciatica on a syphilitic ground. Rheumatism.

Plumbum (6, 30) --- Agg. at night, by heat, by movement, light pressure. Amel by massage, by strong pressure. Chronic sciatica with muscular atrophy. Cramping and constrictive pains. Syphilitic ground.

Pulsatilla (6, 30)---  Agg. by heat, confined air, immobility. Amel. by movement and open air. Erratic pains. Changing of symptoms. Venous congestion. Mentality: timid, easily weeps with amel. by consolation.

Rananculus (6) ---  (predominantly left sided). Agg. in rainy weather and by storm. Morning and evening, by movement, by lying on the painful side. Amel. no clear modality. Complementary Rhus tox. General Agg. by changes of weather and in humid cold.

Rhus tox (decimals, 6, 30, 200) --- Agg. by rest. Cannot remain immobile. Constantly changes position at night, by humidity, beginning to move, lying on the back or on the right side; by fatigue, by cooling after sweat. Amel. by dry and hot weather, changing of position, by walk; by stretching, by hot application. Tearing pains with sensation of coldness, numbness, formication. Paralytic stiffness, sensation as if tendons are very short. Sciatica in persons drenched in water after being hot, or who have lain down in humid place. Consequence of overwork. Rheumatic ground.

Ruta (6) --- Agg. at night, by humidity, by cold application, while lying own, by rest. Amel. by movement, by walk, by heat. Stiffness and sensitiveness of tendons. Deep seated pains, bone pains. Sensation as if bones are broken. Rheumatic sciatica. Restlessness, should walk continually.

Stillingia (6) --- Left sided. Agg. in the evening, by movement, by walking, by cold. Amel in morning, in dry weather, by heat and by pressure. Violent pain from hip to toe.

Syphilitic ground:

Tellurium (6) --- Right sided. Agg. by lying on the painful side, by the least contact, by laughing and coughing, by cold. Amel. no clear modality. Pain f the backbone of sacrum radiates through sciatic nerve.

Valeriana (6) ---  Agg. by standing or in any position with the feet on the ground; by immobility. Amel. by walking, with the limbs stretched in a horizontal position, by change of position. Acute pain along the nerve.

Veratrum album (6, 30) ---  Agg. at night, by the heat of the bed. Amel. by walking, by ambient heat. Cramping pains. General Agg. by cold drinks.

Viscum album (6, 30) ---  Agg. by touch, by the least movement, by cold and by lying on the left side. Amel. by rest. Grave, stubborn case; sensation of torsion in the muscles. Limbs heavy as lead. Hypersensitiveness to contract; prostration. Arterial hypertension, arteriosclerosis.

Zincum metallicum (6, 30) --- Agg. while sitting, by walk, by noise, by touch. Amelioration by moderate movement (continual movement of the feet), by menstruation, following a discharge. Sciatica with weakness and trembling. Rheumatic ground. General Agg. by wine.

Remedies of secondary importance:

We are going to enumerate briefly and in alphabetical order the last group of medicines which are useful but of less value than those which we have just studied.

Angustura (6) ---Agg. by movement. Amel. by cold application. Rigidness of limbs and lameness.

Capsicum (6) ---Agg. by movement and cold. Amel. by heat. Preferable left sided.

Carboneum sulphuratum (6) Agg. by movement, by walking and at night.

Coffea (6, 30) ---Agg. by emotion, by movement, by noise, at night. Amel. by rest, by pressure. Intolerance of pain. Restlessness. Insomnia. Sensorial hyperesthesia.

Colchicum (decimals, 6)---Agg. by movement, by touch, at night. Amel. by heat and by rest. Arthritic ground.

Drosera(6) ---Agg. by walk and by movement. Amel. by rest. Preferably right sided.

Dulcamara ---Agg. by humid weather; consequence of suppression of sweat, of discharge. Amel. by mild and dry climate. Rheumatic ground. Sciatica as a result of cold during humid climate.

Eupatorium purpureum (6) --- Agg. by movenet. Feeling as if the bones and muscles are bruised. Feels bed very hard. Weak legs, as if paralyzed. Left sided 

Euphorbium (6)--- Agg. by movement; amel. by rest. Great difficulty to rise from a sitting position.

Ginseng (6)--- Agg. at night and by sitting position. Sensation of deep contusion of fracture.

Hepar Sulphur (6, 30) --- Agg. by movement, by walk, by the least cold. Amel. by rest and by heat. Extreme sensitiveness to cold, to the least change of weather, to air currents.

Indigo (6) ---Agg. while sitting; by rest. Amel. by movement (which is however slightly painful). Preferably right sided.

Kali phos (6) --- Agg. by cold and by continued movement. Amel by heat and moderate movement.

Magnesia carb (6) ---Agg. at night, by rest, by noise, by touch, by cold and at interval of every three weeks. Amel. by movement, walking, in open air, by heat. Intolerable pains with sweats. Hyperesthesia of the skin.

Menyanthes (6) ---Agg. by walking, by rest, by going up. Amel. by strong pressure.

Mercurius (6) Agg. at night, while lying down, by movement. Amel. in open air, in the morning. Tearing pains along the limb. 
Sensation of internal heat. Skin cold. Weakness of the limb. Syphilitic and rheumatic ground.

Finally I must say a few words regarding some adjuvant methods whose importance should not be neglected. In spite of the rich therapeutic arsenal of homoeopathy, homoeopaths should not forget the thermal cures that may render good service to the patients of sciatica especially for relapsing cases.

Acupuncture and centro-therapy often, in the hands of masters, give instantaneous results. Finally in all cases of sciatica gymnastic movements, active or passive, are really useful where judicious treatment completely fails, or the amelioration is not satisfactory.