Sciatica or pain in the bottom and back of the thigh is not a very uncommon occurrence nowadays. It occurs due to irritation of the thickest and longest nerve in the body, known as the sciatic nerve, that originates in the lumbar spine or lower back and runs all the way down to supply the feet. The nerve can get irritated or compressed anywhere during this course. This could be triggered by an activity such as walking or even at rest.
In this blog post we will discuss the 5 signs that indicate that you have sciatica.
The first sign is that you have a sharp pain or a dull ache in your bottom. If you notice that when your lower back pain flares you tend to get the pain in your bottom, then your sciatic nerve is most probably getting irritated in the lumbar spine.
The second sign is that you have a sharp shooting pain going down from your bottom into your back of your thigh, ie your hamstrings. This may even extend all the way down into the back of your legs, ie your calf muscle.
The third sign is that you have a dull achy pain, tingling, numbness, burning, pain or discomfort going down your bottom, hamstrings and/or the calf muscle, that is present all or most of the time. This maybe in addition to the sharp shooting pain or may be present on its own. The type of sensation felt in sciatica can vary between individuals and it depends on which specific fibres of the sciatic nerves are getting pinched or irritated.
The fourth sign that maybe present is weakness in the leg that presents with sciatica. This is usually seen in later stages when the sciatica has been present for a few weeks.
The fifth sign is that sciatica can lead to bladder or bowel changes, when severe. It is not very common but its can be present. This is classed as an emergency and if you find this symptom you should go to the hospital asap.
You can watch this video to understand the first three signs in more details:
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