I hear it on a weekly basis ! “I’ve got sciatica ” to which my response is always the same ! can you show me where the pain goes ?.
Usually this is followed by a slight look of confusion and a general wave of the hand indicating leg pain. This is not through any fault of the client but quite often Dr. Google will give the worst case scenario to any pain. If you have pain going below the knee you need to get it professionally assesed.
So here are the facts! True Sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve which sends a radiating pain down through the buttock into the back of the knee all the way to the ankle. This is usually caused by a herniated disc which is putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. The severity of pain will depend on the degree of the bulge and how much it is pushing on the nerve. Symptoms can vary from mild irritation to numbness and tingling to a sharp shooting pain or even a loss if power in the legs
There are other causes such as piriformis syndrome or even a pelvic imbalance, which can produce similar symptoms, but an accurate diagnosis is needed. Go to your local therapist and get them to check . this will be assessed by a number of tests including a straight leg raise test.
Treatments that follow will depend on the diagnosis and can range anywhere from an MRI to injections or even physical therapy and massage at the clinic in Douglas.