Verified on 04/16/2024 by Alexane Flament, Editor
Sciatica causes significant pain in the legs, buttocks, thighs and even the foot.
Therefore, certain symptoms should alert you and lead you to consult. Here is all you need to know.
Sciatica: what is it?
The sciatica refers to intense pain present in the lower limb. It is usually linked to a pathology in the lumbar spine. Sciatica is very disabling due to the intensity of the pain.
The most common cause is herniated disc lumbar. A disc irritates the nerve root (or compresses it) which causes pain along the path of the nerve.
Other causes can explain the appearance of sciatica. This may be foraminal stenosis or the narrowed lumbar canal. Extraspinal causes are very rare.
Symptoms that should worry you
The symptoms of sciatica are very intense pain that follows the path of the nerve, starting from the buttock, passing through the posterior and lateral aspect of the thigh, the calf and ending in the foot.
So, there are a few symptoms to watch out for, including:
- Pain. This is the most common symptom. The pain radiates to the buttock, rear thigh, leg and foot. It can be throbbing or acute. Most often, it only affects one side, that of the compressed nerve. It can happen, in the most serious cases, that it occurs on both sides;
- Muscle weakness. Compression of the sciatic nerve can lead to weakness in the leg. The person then has difficulty standing on their leg. The compression of the nerve can be very significant and cause complete paralysis of certain muscles of the lower limb. It then becomes very difficult to walk due to the lack of muscular support;
- Numbness or tingling in the leg. During severe compression, the person may suffer from loss of sensitivity.
This pathology is quite debilitating: it requires rest. Heat or ice can help relieve trauma when sciatica results from trauma.
If the pain is too severe, it is necessary to consult a health professional.
Health journalist
April 16, 2024, at 2:28 p.m.
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