Sciatica

Sciatica is a type of nerve pain in your lower back or hip that often extends down the back of your leg. Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic offers comprehensive spine care to help you find relief. Our experienced specialists provide a wide range of nonsurgical and surgical treatments tailored to your needs.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes pinched, injured or inflamed. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It starts in the low back and runs down the back of each leg. It controls the muscles and provides feeling in the back of your knee and lower leg.

Causes of sciatica

Sciatica can be caused by any spinal condition that compresses or damages the sciatic nerve, such as:

• Herniated disk
• Piriformis syndrome (a pain syndrome involving a narrow muscle in the buttocks)
• Spinal or pelvic injury
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
• Tumors

Sciatica symptoms

Sciatica pain can vary widely. It may feel like a sharp pain, dull ache, mild tingling or burning sensation. In some cases, the pain is so severe that you cannot move. Most people have sciatica symptoms on one side of the body, anywhere along the lower back, hip, back of the leg and sole of the foot. Your leg may also feel weak, causing your foot to catch on the ground when walking.

The pain often starts slowly and may get worse at night or when you:

• Bend backward
• Sit or stand
• Sneeze, cough or laugh
• Walk more than a few yards

Sciatica diagnosis

The first step in diagnosing sciatica is a review of your symptoms and medical history. Your doctor will perform a physical exam to look for:

• Abnormal or weak reflexes
• Difficulty bending forward or backward
• Difficulty moving your foot inward or downward
• Loss of sensation or numbness
• Pain when lifting your leg straight up off the exam table
• Weakness when bending your knee

If your symptoms are severe or long-lasting, your doctor may order an X-ray or MRI to find the underlying cause.

Sciatica prevention

Prevention varies, depending on the underlying cause. Some strategies that may help prevent sciatica include:

• Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time
• Exercise routinely
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Quit smoking
• Practice good posture
• Use proper lifting techniques

Sciatica treatment

Because sciatica is a symptom of another medical condition, your doctor will work to identify and treat the underlying cause. In some cases, symptoms go away on their own, and you don’t need treatment.

When recommending treatment, doctors typically start with conservative (nonsurgical) approaches. Your doctor may recommend ice, heat and over-the-counter pain relievers. It’s also important to avoid heavy lifting and other strenuous physical activity.

If these measures don’t help, your doctor may suggest other treatments such as:

Outpatient physical therapy

Spine injections

Spine surgery