{"id":496,"date":"2017-09-15T04:13:50","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T04:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/?p=496"},"modified":"2021-07-09T18:34:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T18:34:29","slug":"16-common-sciatica-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/16-common-sciatica-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Common Sciatica Symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sciatica is a condition that is characterized by pain in the lower back. Specifically, this is caused by irritation or pressure affecting the sciatic nerve. This is a nerve that runs through the spinal canal from the lumbar region, all the way through to the lower legs below the knee.<\/p>\n

This is actually the longest nerve in the human body and it is tasked with many important functions when it comes to carrying signals to and from the legs.<\/p>\n

The problem is that this length also makes it vulnerable and it only takes a small amount of pressure for it to become painful.<\/p>\n

In this post, we will take a look at a host of different symptoms that can point to sciatica and from there, you can look into finding the best treatment to aid with your particular case.<\/p>\n

1. Pain in the Lower Back<\/h3>\n

The number one symptom of sciatica<\/a> is pain that affects the lower back area. Of course, this is caused simply by pressure on the nerve at this specific point.<\/p>\n

This pain in the lower back might be sharp in nature or dull and it is likely to become worse or slightly less painful depending on your movement and your position. You can literally imagine what is going on here, as something \u2013 whether it is an inflamed area of tissue, a bone, or a herniated disc \u2013 is physically trapping and pinching the nerve.<\/p>\n

\"\"2. Pain in the Buttocks<\/h3>\n

As mentioned, the sciatic nerve<\/a> is the longest in the human body and it performs a wealth of different jobs. Essentially, these all revolve around carrying the data from your brain to your legs and vice versa \u2013 input and output.<\/p>\n

And because the nerve is in charge of such a wide area, this means that the pain can also be felt in a variety of different areas.<\/p>\n

This includes shooting pain in the buttocks which can make it difficult to sit (among other things). We\u2019ll be looking at some of the other areas where this pain can make itself known too, as we go through this article.<\/p>\n

\"\"3. Burning Sensation<\/h3>\n

Nerves carry all sorts of information. That means they\u2019re not just there to let you know when you\u2019ve been hurt, but also how much weight you are lifting, how fast the leg is moving, what is brushing against the surface of your skin and etc.<\/p>\n

This means it shouldn\u2019t really come as a surprise to learn that your leg can experience a variety of other sensations too, depending on how the signal is being scrambled.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this can go as far as to cause a constant burning sensation<\/a> as though you were having an allergic reaction. This is quite unpleasant as you can imagine and can be very uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\"\"4. Tingling<\/h3>\n

Most of us will have experienced nerve pain at some point in our lives and will have experienced nerves<\/a> being aggravated. The most common way this happens is actually when we unintentionally crush the nerves during rest. In particular, if you have ever woken up in the night to experience having a completely \u2018dead\u2019 arm or leg, then you will know this sensation.<\/p>\n

This is often referred to as \u2018pins and needles\u2019 and it causes the area to become very tingling at the same time as being numb and hard to move.<\/p>\n

Well, that is essentially what is going on inside your legs and your lower back in the long term if you have sciatica. So it should be no surprise to learn that tingling is among the common sciatica symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"\"5. Numbness<\/h3>\n

Remembering that feeling is actually a very useful way to remember the full range of symptoms you might be feeling. Another symptom you might remember from your last \u2018dead arm\u2019 is the numbness<\/a>. This can be a very strange sensation and if you touch the area it can either result in a kind of imprecise \u2018buzzing\u2019 sensation, or it might not be felt at all.<\/p>\n

Again, this is a result of information not quite making it all the way up to your brain. You can imagine this a little like taking the cable that goes into the back of your TV and scrambling it slightly! The picture might come through fuzzy, or it might not come down at all.<\/p>\n

\"\"6. Weakness<\/h3>\n

Again, think back to that sensation where you wake in the night to find your arm completely dead. Scary, isn\u2019t it? Often you aren\u2019t at your most logical and reasonable at this time and thus you might find yourself worrying that you\u2019ve lost the limb forever!<\/p>\n

Part of what makes this so unsettling is the fact that you might also seem to have lost some of the movement in your arms and they can end up flopping around as you turn from side to side!<\/p>\n

This can also happen to a lesser extent when you are struggling with sciatica. Here, the signal going the other way \u2013 from your motor cortex to your legs \u2013 is also scrambled. This prevents proper muscle<\/a> fiber recruitment and all but neuters your precise control. You can end either with your leg flailing and disagreeing with what you want to do, or with it just being weaker than usual and less able to perform specific tasks. Stairs might be more of a struggle for instance.<\/p>\n

Note that it is very unlikely you will have lost all movement or for this to be incredibly noticeable.<\/p>\n

\"\"7. Difficulty Standing<\/h3>\n

When you combine a number of these different symptoms, it follows that the patient can have some difficulty withstanding. This is the result of both weaknesses in the muscles and pain. It\u2019s particularly common to experience a sudden shooting pain when standing up or to feel a dull ache when in certain positions.<\/p>\n

Combine this with numbness<\/a> and you might find that it\u2019s hard to stand up. This can be particularly true after long periods of sitting down and certainly after sleeping.<\/p>\n

\"\"8. Shooting Pains<\/h3>\n

As mentioned, shooting pain is also a common symptom, and especially when you are standing up or sitting down.<\/p>\n

Shooting pain in the leg or in the back is in this case caused because of a sudden movement or position change that ends up pinching and gripping the nerve<\/a>. This in turn causes pain to shoot from the back all the way down the leg, which can be very unpleasant.<\/p>\n

\"\"9. Hip Pain<\/h3>\n

Hip pain is another very common symptom of sciatica. Many people will struggle with hip pain for a long time, being quite unaware of what precisely is causing it. It\u2019s easy here to assume that the pain and discomfort are caused by something other than sciatica, seeing as most of us will associate sciatica with lower back pain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Remember though, sciatica can cause pain all through the legs and the lower back region, which is owing to the complex network of nerves that run through the area.<\/p>\n

Hip pain can thus be a problem commonly caused by sciatica. And remember that sciatica pain can vary greatly in terms of severity. Just because the pain is not preventing your normal movement, that doesn\u2019t mean it can\u2019t possibly be sciatica!<\/p>\n

\"\"10. Swelling<\/h3>\n

Swelling<\/a> is not a problem caused by sciatica so much as a symptom that will commonly coincide with sciatica. That\u2019s because sciatica is traditionally caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve, or by irritation to the same nerve. When you get swelling in the lower back region, whether this is due to a trauma, a broken bone, a sprained muscle, or anything else, this can then lead to that pressure.<\/p>\n

Thus, it is very common to find that swelling occurs in conjunction with this pain and that you might experience both at the same time. If you notice this symptom, it\u2019s not likely caused by sciatica but it does increase the likelihood that sciatica is responsible!<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"11. Fever<\/h3>\n

A fever<\/a> is similarly a symptom that can occur alongside sciatica. The good news, in this case, is that it means the sciatica is likely to be acute and curable.<\/p>\n

Fever is caused by an infection and that infection might affect either the area surrounding the nerve (causing inflammation which in turn causes pressure) or the nerve itself \u2013 which of course leads to direct irritation.<\/p>\n

Either way, a trip to the doctor should be able to help you get your hands on some antibiotics to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

\"\"12. Insomnia<\/h3>\n

Insomnia<\/a> is also a common issue associated with sciatica and in this case, could be best described as being an indirectly related symptom.<\/p>\n

Here of cause, pain in the back makes it difficult to get to sleep. Not only that, but it means that even when you are asleep, it\u2019s more likely to be a disturbed and restless sleep which will likely be less restorative.<\/p>\n

\"\"13. Compensation<\/h3>\n

When we have any kind of pain in a joint, a muscle, or in the back, this can lead to compensation. What that means in short, is that we change our posture and our movement in order to compensate for the pain. So this might mean avoiding positions and avoiding movements that cause pain to the lower back or legs.<\/p>\n

In turn, this can mean that we end up moving in a way that is unnatural and that can then lead to a range of other problems as a result of muscle imbalances, or other joints rubbing, grinding, or creating pressure on nerves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"14. Difficulty Sitting<\/h3>\n

Just as you might experience difficulty with sleeping and withstanding, it\u2019s also common to experience difficulty when sitting if you have sciatica<\/a>. This can be very problematic for office workers in particular and it can also make it more difficult to relax in the evenings.<\/p>\n

Of course, difficulty sitting is caused in part, by the way, this changes the pressure being put on the lower back and the surrounding nerves.<\/p>\n

\"\"15. Knee Pain<\/h3>\n

Sciatic pain can travel all the way down to the knees and even below. In fact, one of the more common places to experience it is in the backs of the knees and this can make walking difficult at times.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have anyone of these symptoms then it doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t have sciatica. Sciatica can cause all these types of pain, discomfort, tingling<\/a>, and numbness or it can cause none of them \u2013 it all depends on the nature of the position and the severity of the irritation.<\/p>\n

\"\"16. Falling<\/h3>\n

Finally, all these different symptoms might also make it more common for someone experiencing sciatica to cause further accidents<\/a> to themselves.<\/p>\n

This can be a result of them tripping and falling due to weakness in the muscle, or it can be caused by difficulty moving the limbs precisely. Either way, it becomes extra important that you take care of your movements.<\/p>\n\r\n

<\/div>