Back pain is very prevelant and many people will experience some type of back pain in their lifetime. One symptom that commonly occurs with a back injury is sciatica. This is a pretty general term for pain that runs down the back of the leg but can have many causes as to why it is happening. When an injury in the low back irritates the sciatic nerve, which originates in the lower back and runs down the back of each leg, it can be painful!
It is a pretty important nerve with the big job of connecting the spinal cord to our leg and foot muscles so we can move. It transfers both sensory and motor signals between the lower body to our brain. It controls the muscles in the back of the knee and lower leg, and provides sensation to the back of your thighs, some parts of our legs and the soles of our feet. So, anything that puts pressure on this nerve can be a major pain in the butt!
The severity of the nerve involvement can lead to pain that is mild to excruciating, with very intense, cramp-like or shooting pain that totally keeps you from getting off the couch. Pain is felt anywhere along the nerve’s pathway, from the low back, into the butt, hamstring, calf and foot. Commonly, the pain can feel like a burning or tingling sensation. In severe cases, weakness and paraesthesia in one leg can occur.
Any way you look at it though, sciatica can seriously dampen your quality of life and normal daily tasks (like putting on your socks!) that you take for granted, are often difficult to perform.
To really get to the root of what is causing your pain, you have to get an accurate diagnosis because the causes of sciatica are varied and the treatment for them is not all the same. Sciatica can be caused by a disc injury in the low back, spinal stenosis, a joint injury and many other reasons. Anything that injures or irritates the sciatic nerve can cause this very unpleasant symptom! Those exercises that your neighbor did last year for his back pain are not necessary the ones for you! So first you have to figure out what is the problem by getting an accurate diagnosis.
Top 10 causes of Sciatic Nerve pain
- Weak core
- Poor lifting techniques
- Repetitive activity/job with rotation, bending, twisting, lifting
- Poor posture
- Weak pelvic and spinal stability/muscles
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
- Diabetes or cardiovascular disease
- History of chronic low back pain
Need some help?
Physiotherapy is a great option to try that aims to correct the root of the problem. After a thorough assessment to determine what is causing your sciatica, an individualized treatment plan including manual techniques, home exercises and pain management solutions will help you get rid of that nagging pain. Permanently!
