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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffPain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica. You may feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, but it's especially likely to follow a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.
The pain can vary widely, from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation or excruciating discomfort. Sometimes it may feel like a jolt or electric shock. It may be worse when you cough or sneeze, and prolonged sitting can aggravate symptoms. Usually only one lower extremity is affected.
Sciatica symptoms include:
- Pain. It's especially likely to occur along a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.
- Numbness or muscle weakness along the nerve pathway in your leg or foot. In some cases, you may have pain in one part of your leg and numbness in another.
- Tingling or a pins-and-needles feeling, often in your toes or part of your foot.
- A loss of bladder or bowel control. This is a sign of cauda equina syndrome, a rare but serious condition that requires emergency care. If you experience either of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.
When to see a doctor
Mild sciatica usually goes away given time and patience. Call your doctor if self-care measures fail to ease your symptoms or if your pain lasts longer than a week, is severe or becomes progressively worse. Get immediate medical care if:
- You experience sudden, severe pain in your low back or leg and numbness or muscle weakness in your leg
- The pain follows a violent injury, such as a traffic accident
- You have trouble controlling your bowels or bladder
- Lin M. Musculoskeletal back pain. In: Marx JA, et al., eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00051-7--s0045&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00051-7--s0060&uniq=184337872&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=955285604. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Rosenbaum RB, et al. Degenerative disease of the spine. In: Bradley WG. Neurology in Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7506-7525-3..50115-1--cesec38&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7506-7525-3..50115-1--cesec55&uniq=184337872&isbn=978-0-7506-7525-3&sid=955285604. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Gregory DS, et al. Acute lumbar disk pain: Navigating evaluation and treatment choices. American Family Physician. 2008;78:835.
- Aminoff MJ. Mechanical and other lesions of the spine, nerve roots, and spinal cord. In: Goldman L, et al., eds. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/184337872-18/0/1492/1420.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50428-6--cesec37_17875. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Devereaux M. Low back pain. Medical Clinics of North America. 2009;93:477.
- Low back pain fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm#119483102. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Wheeler SG, et al. Approach to the diagnosis and evaluation of low back pain in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Knight CL, et al. Treatment of acute low back pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Ernst E. Complementary treatments in rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. 2008;34:455.
- Chronic pain: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chronic_pain/detail_chronic_pain.htm. Accessed March 1, 2010.
- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 4, 2010.
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