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What is The Sciatic Nerve

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What is the Sciatic Nerve?

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body. In fact, the sciatic nerve is located on each side of the body.  The sciatic nerve begins in the lower back region and runs all the way down to the feet.  It provides mobility to the knee, calf, ankle, feet and toes.

When the sciatic nerve is affected, symptoms can include: burning pain; tingling; and numbness and/or weakness.  These symptoms are felt from the lower back, through the buttock and down the back of the leg, depending on the side of the body housing the sciatic nerve.  While there have been clinical cases of patients experiencing sciatic nerve problems as a result of damage to both sciatic nerves, the occurrence is minimal in comparison to singular sciatic nerve damage. 

Sciatic Nerve Problems

As people age, there is general wear and tear or degeneration affecting different parts of our bodies.  Most patients experiencing sciatic nerve problems are typically between the ages of thirty to fifty.  In most cases, the sciatic nerve damage is from the wear and tear process and not as a result of injury or trauma to the sciatic nerve itself.

When there is sciatic nerve damage, it is, in most cases due to damage to the nerve roots of the sciatic nerve, usually resulting in sciatica.  Sciatica may also be caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve in either the lumbar region (lower back) or the buttock area. 

For patients suffering from sciatic nerve damage, relief usually occurs after a few weeks, or sometimes, months.  While experiencing pain or symptoms associated with sciatic nerve damage, there are a number of pain relief treatments that have proven to be effective.  There are some patients that experience more severe and debilitating sciatica nerve problems that can range from higher levels of pain or chronic sciatic nerve problems.  For these patients, surgery may be recommended to improve their daily lifestyle and resume their normal routine without pain. 

Diagnosing Sciatic Nerve Damage

Because sciatica occurs from damage to the sciatic nerve, it is important to determine the cause of the damage. Patients will discuss their medical history that will identify the pattern of pain and other symptoms. This may include the activity that they are performing when they experience pain, numbness, tingling or weakness; whether this occurs after prolonged periods of rest or activity; and the effect these sciatic nerve problems have had on their normal day to day lifestyle, including work, leisure and recreation.

Once this has been discussed with the doctor, tests will likely be administered to determine the cause of the pain.  Most cases of sciatic nerve damage are as a result of pressure on the nerve root of the sciatic nerve, therefore the importance of locating the disc that may be protruding from the vertebral column is key to determine the severity of the sciatic nerve damage and the recommended treatment.