What Is Sciatica?

Whilst many people wrongly think that sciatica means the pain experienced when the sciatic nerve is trapped.

In fact, it actually refers to the symptoms caused by irritation of the sciatica nerve rather than being a diagnosis of the cause. This point is important as different causes can have varying treatments.

Sciatic pain can be experienced in the hip, thigh, calf or even the foot, and is often accompanied by numbness or pain when walking or moving the leg.

You can find useful info on sciatica causes and treatments at the Wikipedia website.

What Causes Sciatica?

Whilst it may feel as if the nerve is deaden ed, in fact, it is compressed. Sciatica is usually caused by the compression of a lumbar spine nerve root, but also occasionally by compression of the sciatic nerve. Treatment of the underlying cause of compression is likely to be most effective.

When the cause is due to a prolapsed or herniated disc, research has shown that, with treatment to help alleviate pain, around 90% of disc prolapses will recover with no specific intervention.

Diagnosis

Leg pain seems to be the common symptom, in one or both legs. It's common for pain to radiate to other areas such as the hip, lower back or thigh. If you are experiencing persistent pain these areas, or the neck, shoulders, abs, you may need to seek medical advice.

In any case, if your symptoms and discomfort persist, you should always seek the advice of a doctor or health care professional.