What Is Sciatic Nerve Pain?

Sciatica pain intensity is variable. It is often continuous, severe and highly debilitating, but it can be intermittent and milder. Sciatica may also be felt as tingling, numbness, or weakness in the legs. Intense pain  due to sciatica is typically described as aching, sharp, searing, burning, shooting or as electrical shocks running down the leg. It usually worsens when standing or sitting, and decreases while walking or lying down.

What causes Sciatic Nerve Pain?

There’s a small muscle in your buttocks called the “Piriformis”. In every individual, the sciatic nerve (also the largest nerve in the body) runs underneath or directly through this muscle.  When this muscle gets irritated or spasmed it crushes the nerve causing intense pain.  The pain that develops may be in the buttocks or it can run the entire length of the legs. Sciatic nerve pain is usually repetitive and is most commonly felt in one leg. What makes matters worse is that many people don’t know how it developed in the first place or what they can do to prevent lower back pain from returning.  In our clinic we treat the cause of the pain by addressing the piriformis muscle issues.

Sciatica can also be caused by lower back problems, particularly by disorders of the spine, such as a herniated disc, intervertebral disc degeneration, displacement of vertebral bones, bone spurs, joint cysts, or narrowing of the spaces between vertebral bones.  These disorders can cause the compression of the spinal nerves that form the sciatic nerve, leading to inflammation, pain and numbness in the affected leg.

Dr. Dryer will work hard to identify the exact cause of the sciatica and address the issue.  The ability to differentiate between the many causes of sciatica is crucial.  We will use diagnostic tests, orthopedic tests, and neurological tests to determine your cause and solution.