Sciatica

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica and sciatic pain occur when extra pressure is placed on the sciatic nerve. This additional pressure can occur as a result of several spine conditions, including herniated discs, bone spurs, and spinal stenosis. Sciatica itself is not a medical issue, but a symptom of other spinal conditions resulting in pressure being applied to the sciatic nerve. This nerve, the largest and longest in the body, runs from the lower spine down through the back of each leg; sciatic nerve pain can cause pain and numbness or weakness in the lower back and extremities when compressed.

Sciatica can result in many different feelings of pain, including lingering aches, mild tingling, or sharp burning sensations. Most pain occurs on one side of the body, and can also affect legs, hips and feet.

6 Common Causes of Sciatica

Sciatica can be the result of many spine diseases and environmental factors, but there are 6 lower back problems that are most closely associated with sciatica and sciatic nerve pain:

Sciatic Nerve Pain: Our Approach

Since sciatic nerve pain is a potential symptom of several other medical conditions, the first step in treating sciatica is diagnosing the cause of the pressure to the sciatic nerve. If the cause of pain requires a surgical solution, our doctors can perform the minimally invasive AccuCision® Spine procedure to treat the cause of the pain.