Do You Have Sciatica? An Overview of Sciatica Symptoms and Causes

Sometimes back pain is back pain. And when that’s the case, many of the back pain remedies we’ve been discussing on this blog can be a big help in providing pain relief.

Sometimes, however, back pain can be just the starting point and you may actually have sciatica. Scatica can develop slowly over time or happen suddenly. If you think you may have sciatic nerve pain, we recommend you visit your health care provider to and have them check you out and provide a diagnosis.

Sciatica is not so much a medical condition as it is a symptom. To help you determine if you have sciatica or not, here is a description of sciatica symptoms.

Numbness

Cramping

Shooting/aching pains that travel up and down your body

Burning sensation

Tingling When you’re suffering from sciatica, any of the above may be felt from your lower back to upper buttock down the thigh and leg to your foot. Also, it’s important to note that experiencing these symptoms every now and then may not indicate sciatica. Usually this symptoms must persist for at least a few days to get a diagnosis of sciatica. Sciatica can be caused by a few things:

Herniated/slipped disc A herniated or slipped disc that results in pressure on a nerve root can cause sciatica. In fact, this is the most common cause.

Spinal stenosis This happens when the spinal canal narrows and puts pressure on the nerves.

Piriformis syndrome The piriformis muscle is a muscle that is in your buttocks. This syndrome occurs when this muscle becomes tight or spasms and puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Spondyloslisthesis When one vertebra has some slippage and gets out of line with the one above it which narrows the opening that the nerve exits through.

Internal bleeding

Infection Sciatica can make life miserable and things like walking, bending or lifting almost impossible.

Rest can help alleviate sciatica symptoms, but again, if you think you may be suffering from sciatica, it’s best to visit your health care provider.