This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
According to the author, there are three types of disturbances characterized by pain in the sciatic distribution: true sciatica, symptomatic sciatica and pseudosciatica. The first, which would seem to be an acute infectious disease of the order of rheumatism, is characterized by severe pain, first in the back and later in the limb, which is almost always unilateral and tends to recover spontaneously after a few weeks. The subjective and objective disturbances in this condition are treated thoroughly, and various deviations from the ordinary type are described. Symptomatic sciaticas due to syphilitic radiculitis and spondylitis and to various proliferative and neoplastic processes, as well as those due to bony changes about the pelvis and spine, are also discussed. Among the metabolic disorders, diabetes and gout are emphasized as etiologic factors, and the various infections, particularly gonorrhea and zona, are mentioned. The pseudosciaticas are due to cellulitis, myositis and vascular changes,