What is Sciatica?
Many of us who have busy lifestyles sitting at a desk job for hours at an end and then being active at home with our kids for the rest of our day, suffer from sharp shooting pain or heaviness in the legs and/or back pain. This pain in the legs is commonly described as Sciatica. In this blog we will discuss what is sciatica and how and why does it occur? It is very important to understand these to get a better understanding of your sciatica. This will help you to make better and informed treatment choices when you discuss your symptoms and treatment plan with your doctor or healthcare professional. 
 
Sciatica is usually defined as pain due to irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve any where along its path from the lower back down into the legs. Lets break this sentence down into simpler terms that are easy to understand. In our spine the vertebra are stacked on top of each other all the way from our neck to the tail bone. Every two vertebrae have a disc in between them and there are nerves exiting from both sides of the spine. When these nerves are irritated or compressed this can lead to a nerve pain. The area of nerve pain will depend on the location of the nerve irritation. If the nerves are compressed in the cervical spine or neck it can lead to nerve pain in the arms and hands and if the nerves are compressed in the lumbar spine or lower back it can lead to nerve pain in the bottom or legs. Sciatic nerve is one of the nerves that originate in the lower back. Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed anywhere along this path of the nerve. The cause of sciatica can arthritis or an inflammation in the nerve or spinal stenosis or foraminal stenosis or disc bulge or anything that can potentially irritate or pinch on the sciatic nerve. It can start suddenly if the cause is an injury to the nerve or a disc bulge. Or it can develop gradually if the cause is degeneration or arthritis of the spine. It can get aggravated by activities such as walking, running or simply sitting for long hours. 
There is a wide variation in symptoms of sciatica. You may feel only heaviness in the leg with sciatica while another person might feel a tingling numbness in the leg. This reason is that all nerves in our body are made of up a bundle of nerve fibres that carry different sensations to and from the brain to the body, such as heat, cold, tingling numbness, burning, sharp shooting pain, dull achy pain, etc. Depending on which fibre within the sciatic nerve is irritated or compressed that is the kind of a nerve pain felt by the person. 
 
Sciatic pain can be felt anywhere from the lower back to the bottom to the hamstrings (back of your thighs) or your calves (back of the legs) or all the way down to your toes, as the sciatic nerve originates in the lower back and runs down all the way to the toes along the back of the thigh and leg. Another interesting variation in sciatica is that it can be one sided or can affect both the legs or it can switch between the two legs (alternating sciatica).
 
If you have been suffering from leg pain and are not sure if it is sciatica watch this video on How Can You Tell if You Have Sciatica - 5 Signs about the Pain in Your Bottom:

 
 
 If you want to learn more about easy ways to manage your back pain and sciatica, join my free community where we discuss this in the free trainings on "Simple solutions to manage your Nerve Pain" and "Simple solutions to manage your Back Pain". Click HERE to join.
 
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MEET SWATI

 
Hi there! 
I am Swati, an Executive Mum Power Coach & Certified Posture Expert

I help mums of young kids working in high-stress executive jobs manage back, neck, and nerve pain, even with low energy, brain fog, and little time to spare. My proven system delivers real relief without stealing hours from your already packed day. The result? More productive professionals at work and guilt-free mums who can be fully present with their kids, instead of being sidelined by pain.



My passion comes from personal experience. I’ve been where you are: in pain, overwhelmed, and exhausted. After two pregnancies in three years, juggling my kids, housework, and a demanding job, I was stuck in a constant cycle of back and nerve pain. The physical load of motherhood added strain to my spine and joints. Meanwhile, adrenal fatigue left me drained, even after 10–12 hours of sleep.

Everyday tasks became a struggle. I was forgetful, foggy, and low on energy. Even as a trained physiotherapist and posture expert, I couldn’t escape my own pain. I stood all day at work, spent evenings on the laptop, rocked my kids to sleep, sat through endless meetings, traveled frequently ... I’ve been through it all.

I kept my pain hidden at work, afraid to speak up. I felt like a fraud, someone who coached others on relief strategies but couldn’t find relief herself. I loved my job and my children, but I couldn’t give 100% to either. Pain was holding me back.

One New Year, I made a resolution: to get healthy, not just fix pain, fatigue, or weight. I focused on reducing inflammation, healing my adrenal fatigue, and reclaiming my energy. Slowly but surely, the pain faded. I lost weight, my brain fog cleared, and my energy skyrocketed. Today, my pain is nearly gone. I feel stronger, clearer, and more in control than I have in years.
And now, I want that for you.

I combine professional expertise with lived experience to support other mums like me, those with young kids, high-stress jobs, and no time for complicated health programs. I’ve helped hundreds of women reduce spinal and joint pain, lift their energy, and clear the mental fog that holds them back.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. I got you, mommy!

Let’s get you feeling strong, confident, and fully present at work and at home.
Are you ready to start? Curious about how this works? Just ask.

Let's DO THIS!
xx Swati
** Executive Mum Power Coach **

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