Sciatica

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Sciatica is a symptom of a problem with the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It controls muscles in the back of your knee and lower leg and provides feeling to the back of your thigh, part of your lower leg, and the sole of your foot. When you have sciatica, you have pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling. It can start in the lower back and extend down your leg to your calf, foot, or even your toes. It's usually on only one side of your body.

Causes of sciatica include:

• A ruptured intervertebral disk
• Narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the nerve, called spinal stenosis
• An injury such as a pelvic fracture.

In many cases no cause can be found.

Sometimes sciatica goes away on its own. Treatment, if needed, depends on the cause of the problem. It may include exercises, medicines, and surgery.

Start Here

• Sciatica (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Spine CT (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Spine MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Epidural Injections (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Tarlov Cysts (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Specifics

• Piriformis Syndrome (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Piriformis Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Sciatica (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Association between lipid-lowering agents with intervertebral disc degeneration, sciatica and low...
• Article: Prediction of transforaminal epidural injection success in sciatica (POTEISS): a protocol...
• Article: Causal effects of skin microbiota on intervertebral disk degeneration, low back...
• Sciatica -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Physical Therapist Near You (American Physical Therapy Association)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• MRI and low back pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Piriformis syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Sciatica (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish