The Sciatic Nerve

First let’s take a look at the Sciatic nerve and its important functions. The Sciatic nerve is the widest and longest nerve in the body. It is made up of five different nerves (nerve roots) which come out through nerve canals at the bottom of the spine. These five nerve roots merge in the buttock to form the sciatic nerve which runs the entire length of the leg from buttock to foot.

The Sciatic nerve controls nearly all of the sensation in the leg as well as most of the muscles in the leg and foot.

Sciatica Symptoms

Sciatica results from pressure on the Sciatic nerve or any of its nerve roots. In most cases the pain starts in the lower back and radiates down through the buttock and into the leg. However in some cases the pain is felt only in the leg. While many patients have had recurrent episodes of low back pain prior to developing sciatica, the leg pain when it starts is often much worse than the back pain. The leg pain can range from mild to severely disabling. Many patients have extreme difficulty with movement and even sitting can be excruciating.

Because branches of the sciatic nerve also control the leg muscles, patients with sciatica often experience weakness of the leg muscles, muscle wastage, loss of foot control (foot drop) and a sense that the leg will give way or collapse when they stand or walk. As with most nerve entrapments, numbness, tingling, pins and needles and sometimes burning sensations or hypersensitivity along a certain area of the skin are common sciatica symptoms.