Are you suffering with radiating leg pain? Does the pain start in your buttock muscle and travel down to your foot? Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. This nerve connects the lower back, to the posterior of the leg, down to the heel of the foot. Sciatica is caused by an irritation originating from the lower back. The most common cause of this is a slipped disc, also known as a herniated disc. Sciatica does not always present as pain and can be described as numbness, weakness or pins and needles to the back of the legs.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
As symptoms can present anywhere along the course of the sciatic nerve, presentation of symptoms can vary. It is important to note not all cases of sciatica involve back pain.
The most common symptoms of sciatica range from:
- Lower back and radiating leg pain
- Tight buttock or calf sensation
- Pins and needles or numbness to the leg or foot
- Feelings of weakness in the leg
- Please seek immediate medical attention for any sudden changes to your bladder, bowel habits or numbness to your saddle region since the onset of your sciatic symptoms.
What are the risk factors of sciatica?
- Having a current or recent injury: Previous trauma to the spine will increase your risk of developing sciatica or a disk injury.
- Age: General wear and tear to the back and age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis can increase risk of disc herniation and sciatic nerve root injury.
- Poor lifting form: Lifting heavy objects repeatedly or awkwardly can place excess strain on the back. It is important to ensure you keep your back straight and use your legs to lift heavy objects from the floor to avoid injury.
- Increased BMI: Excess body weight will place a greater strain on the back.
- Having diabetes: Type 2 diabetes increases your risk of peripheral neuropathy which can cause damage to your sciatic nerves.
- Pregnancy: Weight gain and the position of the fetus can cause pressure on the sciatic nerve and often result in back pain and weakness of the leg.
What are the treatments for sciatica?
- Icing the area: To reduce inflammation and pain.
- Physiotherapy: In most cases, physiotherapy is the main form of management. Your physiotherapist should provide exercises to help alleviate the symptoms and reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve. This will strengthen the core and back muscles to prevent the injury from reoccurring.
- Prescription medications: In cases where non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (such as ibuprofen) are not helping, your GP may provide you with a stronger pain medication. Such prescription medications will target the nerve pain receptors and help alleviate the nerve root irritation.
- Spinal injections: Such as corticosteroid injections can be used to alleviate the inflammation within the nerve root. Speak to your GP about this for further information.
Taking pain relieving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication: Such as ibuprofen. Ensure you consult your GP prior to taking these.
Is sciatica the same as a slipped disc?
It’s common for people to confuse a slipped disc with sciatica, but they aren’t exactly the same thing. A slip disc or herniated disc, occurs when one of the discs in your spine ruptures, placing pressure on nearby nerves. Sciatica is the term used to describe the symptoms caused by this compression. A slipped disc is a frequent cause of sciatica, however other conditions, such as spinal stenosis, can also lead to sciatic nerve pain.
If you’re struggling with painful symptoms that aren’t clearing up, call our team at LycaHealth Canary Wharf on 0207 132 1440 to book a detailed physiotherapy assessment and experience excellent rehabilitation for your symptoms.
Article provided by Lucy Bryant, Physiotherapist
