Check if you have sciatica If you have sciatica, your: bottom back of your leg foot and toes may feel: painful — the pain may be stabbing, burning or shooting tingling — like pins and needles numb weak Your symptoms may be worse when moving, sneezing or coughing. Information: You probably do not have sciatica if you only have back pain. Do carry on with your normal activities as much as possible regular exercises for sciatica start gentle exercise as soon as you can — anything that gets you moving can help hold heat packs to the painful areas — you can buy these from pharmacies ask your pharmacist about painkillers — NSAIDs like ibuprofen are often recommended — paracetamol on its own is unlikely to relieve your pain put a small, firm cushion between your knees when sleeping on your side, or several firm pillows underneath your knees when lying on your back.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if the pain:. Find a physiotherapist. Peer Reviewed. Sciatic Nerve and Sciatica Save. Davis D, Vasudevan A. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Physiotherapy Research International. Giuffre BA, Jeanmonod R. Anatomy, Sciatic Nerve. Entrapment of the fifth lumbar spinal nerve by advanced osteophytic changes of the lumbosacral zygapophyseal joint: a case report. Asian Spine J. Sciatica: a review of history, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and the role of epidural steroid injection in management.
British Journal of Anaesthesia. Although the pain associated with sciatica can be severe, most cases resolve with non-operative treatments in a few weeks. People who have severe sciatica that's associated with significant leg weakness or bowel or bladder changes might be candidates for surgery. Pain that radiates from your lower lumbar spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica. You might feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, but it's especially likely to follow a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.
The pain can vary widely, from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation or excruciating pain. Sometimes it can feel like a jolt or electric shock. It can be worse when you cough or sneeze, and prolonged sitting can aggravate symptoms. Usually only one side of your body is affected. Some people also have numbness, tingling or muscle weakness in the affected leg or foot. You might have pain in one part of your leg and numbness in another part. Mild sciatica usually goes away over time.
Call your doctor if self-care measures fail to ease your symptoms or if your pain lasts longer than a week, is severe or becomes progressively worse. Get immediate medical care if:. The rubbery disks that lie between the vertebrae in your spine consist of a soft center nucleus surrounded by a tougher exterior annulus.
While back pain due to sciatica, and other causes, is common, there are a number of measures that can help to prevent it occurring or recurring:. Medical Library Topics. Home Medical library Sciatica Southern Cross Medical Library The purpose of the Southern Cross Medical Library is to provide information of a general nature to help you better understand certain medical conditions.
Sciatica is pain caused by problems with the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back, down the back of each leg to the feet. Sciatica may occur in people in their 30s and 40s as a result of strenuous physical activity like sports or heavy lifting, or older people as a result of ageing and degeneration of the spine.
The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the body. It originates in the lower spine, branches into the pelvis, then travels through the buttocks, down the back of each leg.
Sciatic pain occurs when there is pressure on, or damage to, the sciatic nerve. The most common cause is a herniated disc also known as slipped disc or disc prolapse. Muscle spasms can also cause sciatica by compressing the sciatic nerve as it travels through the muscles. Less common causes of sciatica include infection, pelvic injury or fracture, and tumours. In older age groups, sciatica may occur as the result of conditions caused by spinal degeneration, such as spinal stenosis.
Age-related outgrowths of bone bone spurs on the vertebrae can also compress the sciatic nerve. While any injury or process which causes compression of the sciatic nerve can cause sciatic pain, in many cases there may be no specific cause identified for the sciatic pain.
The pain caused by sciatica can range from being mild to very severe.
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