What is sciatica?

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It’s rooted in the lower back and extends through the rump, providing nerve endings through the leg.
Sciatica or sciatic nerve pain is centered on the lower back, and the cause is usually from a ruptured disc in the spinal column that irritates or inflames the nerve. Bone, tumors, muscles, and infections can also cause inflammation of the sciatic nerve and the resulting back and leg pain.
What is the treatment for sciatica?
Bed rest has been traditionally advocated for the treatment of acute sciatica. But how useful is it?
To study the effectiveness of bed rest in patients with sciatica, a research team in the Netherlands led by Dr. Patrick Vroomen randomly assigned 183 such patients to bed rest or, alternatively, to watchful waiting for this period.
The results, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that after two weeks, 70% of patients in the bed-rest group reported improvement, as compared with 65% of the patients in the control (watchful-waiting) group. After 12 weeks, 87% of the patients in both groups reported improvement. The results of assessments of the intensity of pain, the aggravation of symptoms, and functional status revealed no significant differences between the two groups. The extent of absenteeism from work and rates of surgical intervention were similar in the two groups.
The researchers concluded that "among patients with symptoms and signs of sciatica, bed rest is not a more effective therapy than watchful waiting." Sometimes, conventional wisdom is not as wise as research!
Other treatment options for sciatica depend on its cause and include addressing the underlying cause.
- Transcutaneous nerve stimulators (TENS units) are sometimes useful for more chronic forms of sciatica.
- A variety of low back conditioning and stretching exercises are employed to help people recover from sciatica.
- Medications used in the treatment of sciatica include pain relievers, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories, and antidepressants.
- Antidepressants actually can help in this setting by reducing pain perception in the brain.
- Other medications that may be helpful include gabapentin (Neurontin) and duloxetine (Cymbalta).
- Cortisone medications, given orally or by local injection (epidural injection), can sometimes help relieve sciatica.
- Surgical procedures can sometimes be required for persisting sciatica that is caused by nerve compression at the lower spine.
- Sometimes pain management specialists help with chronic sciatica conditions.

SLIDESHOW
What Is Sciatica? Symptoms, Causes, Treatments See SlideshowWhat are home remedies for sciatica?
Keys to the management of acute sciatica include relief of pain and relaxing associated muscle spasms.
Home remedies include:
What type of doctor treats sciatica?
Physician specialties that evaluate and treat sciatica range from generalists to subspecialists. These specialties include:
- general medicine,
- family medicine,
- internal medicine,
- gynecology,
- orthopaedics,
- neurosurgery,
- rheumatology,
- pain management, and
- physiatry.
Other health care providers for low back pain include physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, psychologists, and acupuncturists.
Health News
- Attachment Theory: What It Is, Stages & the Different Attachment Styles
- Gentle Parenting: What It Is, Techniques & Discipline
- U.S. Nursing Homes Fail to Report Many Serious Falls, Bedsores: Study
- The Younger You Get Diabetes, the Higher Your Risk for Dementia Later
- FDA Grants Full Approval to Paxlovid to Treat COVID-19
More Health News »
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Top treatment Sciatic Nerve to Stop Hurting Related Articles
Back Pain: How to Ease Sciatic Nerve Pain
Use WebMD's slideshow to learn ways to get relief from sciatica, such as applying heat or cold, physical therapy, over-the-counter medicine, or an epidural injection.Can Nerve Damage Heal on Its Own?
Damage to nerves can be severe. Because of their structure and function, nerves do not heal as quickly as some body parts do, but sometimes nerve damage can heal on its own.Degenerative Disc Disease and Sciatica
Degenerative disc disease makes the disc more susceptible to herniation (rupture) which can lead to localized or radiating pain. The pain from degenerative disc or joint disease of the spine is usually treated conservatively with intermittent heat, rest, rehabilitative exercises and medications to relieve pain, muscle spasm and inflammation.Exercises for Diabetes Nerve Pain
Learn how to cope with the symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy through pain management exercises. Find relief for diabetic nerve pain without medication.How Do You Treat Saphenous Nerve Pain?
Saphenous nerve block is a type of anesthetic procedure that blocks the saphenous nerve, a pure sensory nerve of the leg, to anesthetize the lower extremity. This kills the pain during surgery for various conditions, but other longer-lasting treatments are used for chronic pain in the saphenous nerve.How Long Does a Popliteal Nerve Block Last?
Popliteal nerve block is a type of anesthetic procedure that blocks the sciatic nerve and blocks pain in the lower leg. It's used to kill pain in the leg below the knee during surgery or wound repair.How Long Does an Ulnar Nerve Block Last?
An ulnar nerve block is a procedure to numb the side of the hand with the little finger. An anesthetic solution is injected adjacent to the ulnar nerve in the wrist or the elbow. The anesthetic blocks the transmission of pain signals from an injured portion of the hand to the brain.How Can You Tell If You Have Nerve Pain or Muscle Pain?
If the pain started after an injury and it's a dull ache, it's likely muscle pain. If your pain seemed to come out of nowhere or it's been ongoing, and it feels like your skin is on fire, you're likely experiencing nerve pain.Nerve Blocks
Nerve blocks are used for different pain treatment and management purposes. There are many different types of nerve blocks for specific areas of the body. A plexus or ganglion is a group of nerves that causes pain to a specific area of the body. The pain area is injected with a nerve-numbing substance called a nerve block.What Do Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography Diagnose?
Nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography (EMG) are tests performed to assess the health of nerves and muscles. A neurophysiologist stimulates specific nerves and muscles and studies the resulting activity to evaluate if the nerves and muscles are functioning normally.Nerve Pain Slideshow
Learn about nerve pain symptoms, causes, and treatment options. Discover medications and natural remedies to relieve nerve pain.Pinched Nerve
A pinched nerve causes pain, numbness, or tingling in the affected area due to pressure on a nerve. Carpal tunnel and sciatica are two examples of conditions caused by a pinched nerve. A pinched nerve is diagnosed by taking a patient history and performing a physical examination. Electromyography may be performed. Treatment for a pinched nerve depends on the underlying cause.Sciatica Pain
Sciatica pain, caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, typically radiates from the low back to behind the thigh to below the knee. Disc herniation is usually the cause of sciatica. Medication to alleviate pain, physical therapy, and bed rest are treatments for sciatica.Sciatica Picture
Pain that results from irritation of the sciatic nerve and typically radiates from the buttock to the back of the thigh. Although sciatica can result from a herniated disc pressing directly on the nerve, any cause of irritation or inflammation of this nerve can reproduce the painful symptoms of sciatica. Diagnosis is made via observation of symptoms, physical examination and nerve tests, and sometimes X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), if a herniated disk is suspected. Treatment options include avoiding movements that further irritate the condition, use of medication, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.Sciatica Slideshow
Sciatica pain radiates from the lower back toward the feet. Sciatica may feel like a cramp in the leg, burning, tingling, 'pins-and-needles' or numbness. Learn about the causes, exercises, treatment and pain relief for sciatica.