Sciatica I Do You Have a Sciatica? Learn More About Symptoms, Signs, Causes, Risk Factors, and Treatment

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms of sciatica – Thelifetoday.com

The main symptom of sciatica is pain, but it is not any type of pain. In most cases, patients feel both low back pain and leg pain. In sciatica, leg pain is located in the nerve distribution of L4 to S2. In other words, the nerve roots affected by the disease are those that leave the intervertebral space from the fourth lumbar vertebra to the second sacral vertebra. These nerve roots receive impulses from their own areas of the skin and underneath, and that is where it hurts the most. This is known as dermatomal distribution, and it creates a helpful pattern to identify sciatica pain.

In some cases, the dermatomal distribution of pain is not clear, but other elements contribute to detecting the problem. For example, sciatica pain often starts after prolonged loading of the spine, such as standing for a long time or carrying a heavyweight. It may also become triggered by sitting for too long because the sciatica nerve runs down to the legs deep into the buttocks. Bending forward, vacuuming, and other activities can aggravate the pain while changing positions or reclining to unload the spine reduces pain sensation.