What do you think of when you hear the word sciatica? Hip or glute pain? Thigh pain? Pain going all the way down your leg?

The truth is that sciatica can be any of these things. Sciatica symptoms can be pain anywhere along the sciatic nerve or the nerve roots that make up the sciatic nerve. At times sciatica can also be used as a catch-all term to describe other pains in the hip or in the leg as well. Because it is pain through multiple areas, sciatica is more similar to a symptom itself (of some other condition). Sciatica is the pain/symptoms that goes along with that condition.

There can be many reasons behind sciatica symptoms and pain. It can come from irritation of the nerve root in the low back. This may include disc herniation/bulge, stenosis, and other injuries that result in swelling in the area. You may also have sciatica pain from neural irritation anywhere along the nerve tract. This can be due to local injury, previous injury, or general tension.

Finally, you may also have symptoms occurring due to irritation in the hip and muscles of the hip. Having this as the sole cause of your symptoms is less common but can still be a possibility.

Finding Help for Sciatica Symptoms

So how do you know what is causing your symptoms?

Set up an appointment with Apex! Due to the many different causes of sciatica, it can be difficult to decipher what can help your symptoms. That is where seeing your Physical Therapist or getting a referral can be your best option.