Sciatica refers to pain, numbness and tingling that affects your back and legs following an injury to your sciatic nerve. Beginning in your lower back, the sciatic nerve runs down each of your legs, controlling your muscles and providing sensation. Pain and numbness occur when the roots of the sciatic nerve (located around the lumbar spine) become pinched. Sciatica is a symptom of an underlying condition, such as a herniated disk, bone spur, spinal stenosis, traumatic injury or tumor. Speak with an orthopedic expert about sciatic.
Signs and Symptoms
Some patients experience only mild discomfort and numbness due to sciatica, while others experience pain so severe they cannot stand up or move around.
Common signs of sciatica include the following.
- Radiating Pain: Sciatica pain may start in the lower back and travel down the leg, following the path of the sciatic nerve. Pain ranges from a dull aching sensation to a sharp burning, to a jolting shock.
- Numbness: Some individuals may experience numbness and tingling sensations in or around the affected leg, foot or toes.
- Weakness: In severe cases, sciatica can cause muscle weakness in the leg or foot.
- Movement Pain: Sciatica may intensify during certain movements, such as sitting and bending over. Involuntary movements—such as coughing and sneezing—may also cause the pain to get worse, if only temporarily.
Severe cases of sciatica may lead to issues around bowel and bladder control.
Risk Factors and Prevention
Because sciatica is a symptom of an underlying injury or condition, a range of contributing factors could increase your risk of developing it. Those factors include the following.
- Activity: Different forms of strenuous activity—such as lifting heavy objects—can cause strain or injury if not approached safely. This type of strain can result in a herniated disc, which causes sciatica. Remember to lift with your legs and avoid twisting while lifting.
- Age: Sciatica most often occurs in individuals between the ages of 30 and 50.
- Gender: Men are more likely to develop sciatica compared to women.
- Other Conditions: Osteoarthritis is commonly an underlying condition of sciatica.
- Sitting: Remaining sedentary for extended periods of time, such as sitting at a desk during the day, increases the risk for developing conditions that cause sciatica. Remember to take frequent breaks to stand up, stretch and walk around.
- Weight: High body weight can contribute to sciatica by placing excessive pressure on the area of the sciatic nerve, meaning the pelvis and legs.
Learn more about orthopedic conditions that could cause sciatica.
How We Diagnose Sciatica
Our orthopedic experts use the following procedures to diagnose sciatica.
- Physical Exam: In most cases, our experts can accurately diagnose sciatica by examining the physical symptoms of the condition.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): A combination of a magnetic field and radio waves creates three-dimensional images of specific areas of your body.
- Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan: Certified experts use computer-processed X-rays to generate a scan of your body in “slices” to create highly accurate images.
- X-ray: A common medical imaging procedure, X-rays use radiation to capture colorless images of your bones, joints and soft tissue.
Treatment Options
Most cases of sciatica can be managed with conservative treatment methods, such as applying ice or heat to the affected area as well as using over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen. Some cases may require physical therapy to ensure the condition doesn’t progress. Severe cases of sciatica that have resulted in the loss of bowel or bladder control may require surgical methods to fully recover, especially cases caused by a herniated disk. Learn more about orthopedic conditions treated at Bayhealth, or speak with one of our experts.