Sciatica/ Lower back pain

Sciatica

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It travels from your lower back, through your hip area and buttocks and down the back of each leg . The term sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve. Sciatica is the compression of the Sciatic nerve in your lower back. The most common cause of this nerve compression is a bulging or herniated lumbar disc. Piriformis syndrome is another common cause of sciatica. The piriformis is a muscle that lies directly over the sciatic nerve. If this muscle becomes tight or if you have a spasm in this muscle, it puts pressure directly on the sciatic nerve.

Symptoms

• Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg.  The pain can be sharp, burning sensation, electric shock with a generalised dull ache
• Numbness, tingling, and pins and needles
• Muscle weakness in affected leg
• Worse when you sit, bend, cough or sneeze.

Causes

• Pes planus / flat feet (See Orthotics)
• Biomechanical Malignment / Scoliosis (See Orthotics)
• Herniated Disc
• Muscle spasm (esp. Piriformus)