Are You Feeling the Following Sciatica Symptoms?

Symptoms of sciatica come in many shapes and forms. How your sciatica pain shows up is largely determined by your overall fitness, the causes for your sciatica and a number of other factors. Before we get into the causes, let’s have  a closer look at some sciatica symptoms.

You’re sitting down on the couch watching your favorite television program when you feel a shooting pain down your leg.   It starts right in the middle of your left buttock and radiates down to the back of your knee sending you jumping off of the couch in pain.

You wake in the middle of the night with a burning sensation in your low back and buttock.   The pain is constant, not terrible, but enough to keep you from going back to sleep.

You get out of the shower and notice your leg is tingling. It feels numb and you’re not sure why or what happened.

These are all common sciatica scenarios. 

Sciatica Symptoms range from:

Burning in your lower back
Burning sensation down your leg or in your buttock - just one cheek
Sharp pain in your low back, buttock or radiating down the back of your leg
Numbness of back of leg or buttock
Tingling in back of leg or buttock

Sciatica symptoms can vary mildly annoying and uncomfortable, to downright painful.   The pain can interfere with movement, sleeping, and exercise. 

What to do when you feel sciatica symptoms ?

If this is the first time you’ve ever experienced sciatica symptoms then the first course of action, depending on the level of pain, may be to wait it out. If the pain is manageable then consider just giving it a day or two of rest. Most sciatica pain goes away on its own after a couple of the weeks and mild pain or discomfort can be managed with alternating hot and cold packs as well as over the counter pain medications.

However, if the pain is acute or it is affecting your ability to function, then a trip to the doctor or physical therapist is in order. Sciatica can be caused by overuse, spinal compression, inflammation, injury, and herniated discs or tumors. This means it’s important to have it checked out.

Additionally, if your sciatica symptoms do not recede or you find that you’re suffering from frequent flare ups then it is also recommended to visit your therapist or physician for a diagnosis. 

Most common treatments for sciatica symptoms includes stretching and exercises designed to strengthen your core muscles and increase your flexibility. Treatments can also include massage and manual therapy.  Depending on the severity of the pain your physician may recommend pain relievers or an anti-inflammatory – this is not a lasting remedy as pain relievers can cause other health issues.

Sciatica symptoms range from manageable to downright life altering.  If you’re suffering from sciatica pain, take steps to determine the cause and treat accordingly. You don’t have to live with sciatica pain.