An extremely common condition that’s estimated to affect millions of people every day, sciatica can be broadly defined as a pain or other unpleasant or disturbing sensation that is generally felt in one or more of the following areas of the body: the lower back, the buttocks, the outer sides of the thigh and calf, the feet, and toes.

Two key points about sciatica:

1) The name ‘sciatica’ describes a symptom, not a specific disease nor even necessarily the exact underlying cause that leads to the pain; and

2) The areas where the pain is felt are not an indication of where the cause of it originates – sciatica almost invariably stems from troublein the back, whether or not any pain is experienced there as well.

Sciatica, in fact, is just one of the many symptoms that can mark different kinds of back problems, or more specifically problems affecting the spine.

Although spinal problems and sciatica are directly linked as cause and effect, this relationship is often less than obvious when a sufferer first experiences sciatica, especially when the pain or discomfort is relatively mild and perhaps only present for a very short time. Identifying the cause of the pain is made even more confusing at times because:

Sciatic pain – wherever it occurs and whatever form it takes – is not necessarily accompanied by back pain of any kind; and

Back pain – even that resulting from the very kind of spinal problems that normally give rise to sciatica – is not necessarily accompanied by sciatica.

To add extra confusion, sciatic pain potentially manifests itself not only in many different places but also in a wide variety of ways and degrees of intensity. At one extreme, sciatica may be no more than an occasional light tingle that’s sensed rather than felt in some part of the buttocks, legs, or feet; at the other extreme, it is a searing, wrenching, agonising pain that affects most of the leg and can become truly disabling. It is in the nature of sciatica that it frequently comes and goes for no obviously discernible reason, at times disappearing of its own accord for days, weeks or even months, then to perhaps eventually return with a vengeance.

While the relationship between some kinds of sciatic pain and spinal problems is often less than obvious at first, equally obscure can be the reason why sciatica may be experienced by a sufferer at certain times but not at others. However, apart from any underlying spinal condition that may be responsible for bringing on sciatica, there are many additional causes that could be described as ‘secondary’ in that they have been identified as likely to trigger sciatica, no matter how good your spine may have been in the first place. Common examples of these contributing factors include:

Poor posture – how you stand and sit affects how well your spine, no matter its condition, will be able to cope with the demands you place upon it.

An incident that suddenly, perhaps only very briefly, placed a much greater than usual strain upon the spine – this could be because of being involved in an accident, falling down or slipping, or just merely lifting something heavy or bending down awkwardly.

The cumulative effect of strain upon the spine – such as resulting from frequently driving long distances or spending hours hunched over a desk. Cumulative strain can contribute to sciatica in two separate but connected ways: first, it can cause one of the specific spinal conditions whose symptoms include sciatica; secondly, once such a condition exists, it can make it worse, so that sciatica if not present previously, now manifests itself.

Whether you’re overweight – it’s obvious that the heavier you are, the more weight your spine has to support. It also follows that the poorer the condition of your spine, the greater is likely to be any harmful effect that being overweight will impose upon it.

*1\124\2*