What is the meaning of sciatic pain?

The sciatic nerves branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Typically, sciatica affects only one side of your body.

Why does sciatic nerve pain occur?

Sciatica pain is caused by an irritation, inflammation, pinching or compression of a nerve in the lower back. The most common cause is a herniated or slipped disk that causes pressure on the nerve root. Most people with sciatica get better on their own with time and self-care treatments.

What does sciatica stand for in medical terms?

The term “sciatica” usually describes a symptom—pain along the sciatic nerve pathway—rather than a specific condition, illness, or disease. Some use it to mean any pain starting in the lower back and going down the leg.

What are the symptoms of sciatic nerve pain?

Sciatica symptoms are typically felt on only one side of the body. They may include a combination of leg and foot pain, weakness, tingling or numbness. Sciatica pain is often described as searing or sharp, as opposed to achy or throbbing. Depending on where the sciatic nerve roots are compressed,…

When does sciatica pain go down the leg?

Sciatica is a medical condition characterized by pain going down the leg from the lower back. This pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset is often sudden following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur.

How do you find out if you have sciatica?

Sciatica is typically diagnosed by physical examination, and the history of the symptoms. Generally if a person reports the typical radiating pain in one leg as well as one or more neurological indications of nerve root tension or neurological deficit, sciatica can be diagnosed.