Has your friend ever told you that the reason their lower back hurts is because of their sciatica? Sciatica is a term that is thrown around often in our society when it comes to lower back pain.
But it’s important to understand that sciatica and back pain are not synonymous.
So let’s dive into exactly what sciatica is and what the symptoms are.
What is sciatica?
Sciatica means that you are experiencing pain from your sciatic nerve that runs from your lower back down the back of your legs.
The pain could be driven from your back or the sciatic nerve could be impinged in another area in your body.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
Typically you will have burning or tingling and numbness down one leg if you have sciatica. Often individuals will say they have a “shooting pain down their leg”.
In some cases, the pain will stay isolated to the low back and buttocks only.
If sciatica goes untreated, you can experience changes in the strength in your leg as well changes in bowel and bladder function. If you experience these symptoms, you need to seek out medical attention immediately.
What causes sciatica?
Sciatica is caused by impingement to the sciatic nerve. This impingement could be happening at the lower back secondary to a disc injury or bony growth.
It could also happen lower down the chain as the nerve passes through the muscles that make up your buttocks.
If you experience acute trauma that causes inflammation in your back or buttocks, the inflammation may also sit on the sciatic nerve and cause you to experience sciatica.
Potential Diagnoses
Sciatica often occurs in combination with one of the following diagnoses:
- Discogenic low back pain
- Piriformis syndrome
- Central or foraminal stenosis (narrowing in bone space)
- Neural tension
In order to effectively treat your sciatica, it is important to have a skilled practitioner assess where exactly the nerve is being compressed.
Did you know?
Did you know that that diabetic neuropathy can mimic sciatica?
If you have diabetes, you may experience a phenomenon called diabetic neuropathy that can create a similar shooting and tingling sensation down your leg.
This is why you can’t assume that just because you have symptoms down your leg you have sciatica.
Make sure to get a thorough evaluation from a skilled practitioner to determine what is at the root of your symptoms.
