Sciatica is a specific kind of leg pain. It is only caused by the sciatic nerve, and so it can only be felt along the route of the nerve. That is from the buttock, into the back of the thigh, and down the back and front of the calf.

The sciatic nerve is made from a number of nerves exiting the spine, and the nerve itself is therefore very thick. It splits around the knee, and runs close to the fibula on the outside of the shin. You might have felt pins and needles in this part of the nerve if you’ve sat on your leg in a funny way. This is an example of nerve irritation, and the same can happen further up the nerve, causing symptoms anywhere along the length of the nerve. These symptoms might include:

• pins and needles

• numbness

• shooting pain

Disc Bulges and Sciatica

Sometimes the sciatic nerve is irritated when a intervertebral disc bulges. Pain is complicated: not all disc bulges cause back or leg pain.

If you have sciatica and a related disc problem, your osteopath can help take pressure off the disc. In turn, this will take pressure off the nerve and reduce symptoms. However, if the nerve has been sensitised by prolonged irritation, it will take longer to stop producing symptoms. Chronic nerve pain acts differently to acute pain, so treatment will be multifaceted and tailored to you.

Muscular Causes

Sometimes it’s a muscle that irritates the nerve. There is a deep muscle in the buttock called piriformis, and the sciatic nerve either runs near or through it. We’re all wired slightly differently, both are normal. Either way, if the muscle gets particularly tight, it can have an effect on the sciatic nerve.

This can cause a vicious cycle, in which the tight muscle causes pain, to which the body responds by trying to protect itself. Protection often consists of tightening muscles. Fortunately, it’s usually not a difficult cycle to break. Your osteopath will work to calm down both the muscle and the nerve. With exercises for you to do at home, you might find that you recover quicker than expected.

More Unusual Causes

The image above shows a spondylolisthesis. This is just a technical term for a bone in the spine shifting forwards. It can only go so far because the discs above and below are tightly fused to it. But this movement can be enough to compress a nerve.

A spondylolisthesis can be caused by a fracture, or you may be born with it. It requires treatment beyond what your osteopath can provide, but we can still help with the secondary effects, such as sciatica.

If you have leg pain that could be sciatica, make an appointment so we can help you reduce your symptoms quickly.