Sciatica

Sciatica is pain in the lower extremity resulting from irritation of the sciatic nerve. The pain of sciatica is typically felt from the low back (lumbar area) to behind the thigh and can radiate down below the knee. The pain from this condition is sometimes referred to as sciatic nerve pain. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and begins from the nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord in the low back. It extends through the buttock area to send nerve endings down the lower limb.

With this condition, not everyone will experience back pain, but sciatica will present as back pain with leg pain, or leg pain only. Pins and needles can also occur with sciatica. Disc disorders are the major cause of sciatica, but inflammation coming from any structure in the back can also be a source of pain.

Triggers of Sciatica

The most common trigger of pain for a sciatica sufferer can be a normal movement like bending over to pick something up. Physiotherapy can successfully treat this problem using techniques including those that directly target the sciatic nerve pain. The most common cause of pressure is a bulging or herniated disc that compresses the nerve near the spine.

Leg pain in association with low back pain, however, is not always sciatica. When painful, many structures in the back can refer pain to the leg. This means that even though pain is felt in the leg, the problem is actually in the back. 

Physiotherapy can also successfully treat this pain by using techniques that concentrate directly on the structures causing the pain. Contact our team here at Ballsbridge Physiotherapy Clinic if you would like any more information about sciatica.