Sciatica is pain that starts in your lower back or buttock and runs down the back of your leg. Some people feel it as a deep ache. Others describe it as burning, tingling or an electric jolt that shoots toward the foot.

Sciatica isn’t a diagnosis on its own. It describes where the pain goes. The real question is what’s irritating the nerve.

Where the sciatic nerve runs

You have two sciatic nerves, one on each side. Each starts as several nerve roots in the lower spine that come together in the buttock and travel down the back of the thigh. It’s the longest nerve in the body, which is why irritation near the spine can show up all the way down in your calf or foot.

Common causes

A bulging or herniated disc pressing on a nerve root
Tight muscles deep in the buttock, especially the piriformis, squeezing the nerve
Stiff or irritated joints in the lower back or pelvis
Pregnancy, as posture and weight distribution change
Long hours of sitting, particularly on a wallet in your back pocket

What you can do at home

Keep walking in short, easy stretches. Complete rest tends to make it worse.
Avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time.
Try gentle knee-to-chest stretches lying on your back, stopping if the leg pain gets worse.
Take the wallet out of your back pocket. It sounds small, and it helps.

A good rule: if a movement makes the pain move farther down your leg, stop doing it. If it makes the pain pull back toward your spine, that’s usually a good sign.

How chiropractic care helps

When you come in with sciatica, the first job is finding the source. I’ll check your spine, your hips and your pelvis, and run a few tests on strength, reflexes and sensation in your legs.

From there, treatment is aimed at taking pressure off the nerve. That can mean gentle adjustments to restore motion in stiff joints, work on the tight muscles around the hip, and specific exercises to do between visits. Some patients also do well with massage therapy as part of the plan.

When to get checked right away

Call us sooner rather than later if the pain is in both legs, if your leg or foot is getting weaker, or if the numbness is spreading. Go to the emergency room if you lose control of your bladder or bowels or have numbness in the groin area.

You don’t have to wait months for sciatica to go away on its own. Read more about how we treat sciatica, or call (847) 265-5600 to get in.