What is it?
"Sciatica" is not actually a diagnosis - it's a symptom.
It means pain coming from irritation of the sciatic nerve but the reason for that irritation can vary.
Sciatica is very common. Many adults will experience it at some point in their lives. It’s one of the most common causes of leg pain seen in medical care. You can feel it in your lower back, butt and leg. In addition to pain, it can involve tingling or numbness in your back or butt that may radiate down your leg. You may also feel symptoms in your feet or toes.
Types of Sciatica
There are two main types. No matter which type you have, the symptoms often feel the same. These include:
- True sciatica: This type happens when an injury or condition directly affects the sciatic nerve.
- Sciatica-like conditions: These conditions feel like sciatica but have other causes. They relate to nearby nerves or the group of nerves that form the sciatic nerve.
What is the Sciatic Nerve?
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your lower body. There’s one on each side. The nerve plays a major role in how your lower body feels and moves. It connects your lower back to your hips, butt and legs. The sciatic nerve starts near the base of your spine in your lower back. It passes through your pelvis and butt. It then runs down the back of each thigh and into your lower leg. The nerve begins narrow in your lower back and gets slightly wider as it travels down your leg. At its widest point, it’s about the size of a penny.
What is the Purpose of Sciatic Nerve?
Your sciatic nerve provides two types of functions:
- Motor function: It helps the muscles in your legs and feet move.
- Sensory function: It helps you feel sensations in your legs, like touch, pain or temperature.
What are the Symptoms?
You may feel sciatica pain in your lower back, butt or legs. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may include:
- Pain (burning or electric shock feeling that shoots down one leg and may get worse when you cough, sneeze, bend or lift your legs while lying on your back)
- Numbness
- Tingling (pins and needles) feeling
Serious symptoms to look out for include:
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of bladder control
- Loss of bowel control
What Causes Sciatica?
Sciatica happens when something pinches, presses on or irritates your sciatic nerve or its nerve root. It can also happen when conditions affect the group of nerves in your lower back that form the sciatic nerve.
Conditions that can cause sciatic nerve pain include:
- Herniated disks
- Extra body weight
- Osteoarthritis
- Pregnancy
- Spinal stenosis
- Foraminal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Cauda equina
- Degenerative disk disease
- Tumors, cysts or other growths
As the sciatica is just a symptom, doctors need to find the cause to be able to treat it. In some cases, providers can’t find a clear cause.
What are the Risk Factors?
- Past and current injuries to your lower back and spine
- Ageing and wear on spine - as you get older, spinal disks can wear down
- Extra body weight - carrying extra load puts more stress on your lower back and spine
- Weak core muscles - weak core and back muscles offer less support to your spine
- Poor posture or lifting form
- Your job or daily activities like heavy lifting, frequent bending or sitting or driving for long periods
- Diabetes Type 2 damages nerves
- Low physical activity
- Nicotine reduces blood flow and increases chronic pain risk
How Can Wellasia Help?
Our specialised sessions will improve movement quality, strength and mobility throughout the entire posterior chain. The exercises may include:
- piriformis stretches
- sciatic nerve gliding
- strengthening the core, back and pelvis
- strengthening the glutes and hips
- improving the posture
Key Takeaway
Sciatica is a symptom, not a condition. It is often caused by weak core, back and pelvic muscles, excessive weight, low activity or prolonged sitting. The exact cause of sciatic nerve pain needs to be established to find the best treatment. We see this condition daily in our classes.