One of the big red flags for diagnosing sciatica is that the pain is usually limited to only one side of the body. Other red flags that indicate sciatica include pain when standing or sitting, numbness in the legs and weakness or numbness when moving a leg or foot.
Call your primary care provider if self-care measures don't ease symptoms. Also call if pain lasts longer than a week, is severe or gets worse. Get immediate medical care for: Sudden, severe pain in the low back or a leg and numbness or muscle weakness in a leg.
The problem is, piriformis syndrome is often mistaken for sciatica. While both conditions interfere with sciatic nerve function, sciatica results from spinal dysfunction such as a herniated disc or spinal stenosis.
Go to Physical Therapy
PT usually involves most rapid relief remedies (icing, heating, massage, stretching, strength, and flexibility exercises) to provide pain relief, eliminate the underlying cause of the sciatica nerve pain, and prevent further injury and flare-ups.
However, a possible complication of sciatica is chronic (long-term) pain. If there's serious damage to an affected nerve, chronic muscle weakness, such as a “drop foot,” might happen. That's when nerve damage causes numbness in your foot, which makes normal walking difficult or even impossible.
Other conditions can mimic sciatica: Vascular disease: Narrowing of the blood vessels in the legs can cause pain and cramps and might make it hard to walk. Peripheral neuropathy: Small nerves in the legs can become damaged, causing burning, pain, tingling or numbness in the foot or lower leg.
Sciatic nerve pain is caused by compression, irritation, inflammation, and pinching of a nerve in the lumbar spine. The most common cause of a sciatica flare-up is a herniated or slipped disc in the lower back.
It may feel like a mild tingling, dull ache, or burning sensation. In some cases, the pain is severe enough to make a person unable to move. The pain most often occurs on one side. Some people have sharp pain in one part of the leg or hip and numbness in other parts.
Sciatica becomes chronic if it lasts longer than 6 weeks and does not improve. Doctors usually recommend waiting for the issue to resolve without medical treatment unless the pain is excruciating or lasts for more than 12 months.
On the back – Research shows that many people find relief from pain when sleeping on their back. This can relieve pressure on the low back and sciatic nerve. For best results, elevate the knees by placing one or more pillows beneath them. Make sure the neck is also supported with a pillow.
The most common cause is a herniated disk in the lower spine. Another risk factor is spinal stenosis, a condition that causes the spinal column to narrow. Doctors do not know why some cases of sciatica become chronic. Many acute and chronic cases happen because of a herniated disk.
Since the sciatic nerve travels along the same pathway as the hamstrings, the nerve can also become stretched and irritated, increasing your symptoms. Stress — particularly chronic stress — plays such a significant role in so many maladies, it's no real surprise that it can affect your sciatica symptoms as well.
Sciatic neuropathy is damage to the sciatic nerve and can cause pain, weakness, and numbness. Sciatica is pain that begins from the sciatic nerve. Another term for sciatica is lumbar radiculopathy.
The primary diagnostic method is having the patient move the hips and legs to identify where the pain occurs. If it is in the lower back and buttocks only, it may be piriformis syndrome. If the pain is in the lower extremity, it is likely sciatica.
In more severe cases, sciatica and related inflammation can affect the nerves that control your bladder and bowel function. When these nerves are compressed or pinched, you can experience bladder or bowel leakage or an inability to control urination or bowel movements.
The “walk it off” mentality may be popular in some sports disciplines, but patients that suffer from sciatica should avoid pushing through the pain. As a matter of fact, this may lead to more intense pain and additional symptoms, so living in pain is not a good alternative.
Even though it probably hurts to some degree, walking is actually good for sciatica. Dr. Shah points out that walking promotes blood flow throughout the body, and can even make the nerves more resilient.
“Some people are able to continue to work, whereas other people are bedridden.” You might fall anywhere on that spectrum, yet sciatica is often severe enough to cause problems with mobility, and typically symptoms take four to six weeks to resolve, according to 2022 research published in StatPearls.
In addition to providing hydration, drinking water has the potential to alleviate sciatica, a common source of lower back and leg pain. Drinking water can slow the progression of symptoms and ease discomfort.
Sciatica healing can be conceptualized as having three phases. The focus in the first phase is getting rid of the symptoms of pain, numbness, tingling, and other paresthesia. Pain may lessen while the abnormal sensations are still being experienced.
It can provide a clear picture of the spine, nerves, and surrounding tissues, which can help doctors identify any abnormalities that may be causing the symptoms of sciatica.
Sciatica can be intensely painful, although most people do not have to live with it long term. It is common for sciatica to last for several weeks. If weeks turn into months, however, this may indicate that it is time to seek a diagnosis and explore other treatment options.
On your back with elevated knees
This is considered the best position for sciatica pain relief. To achieve this position, lie flat on your back and elevate your knees by placing several pillows beneath them. Use as many pillows as you find comfortable.