SCIATICA

Radicular leg pain and feeling of numbness and tingling is caused by irritation of the lumbosacral nerve roots. Acute onset of the radicular pain could be a result of a disc herniation in young adults.  Patient’s can describe subjective weakness and sciatica pain as a pain with numbness and tingling traveling from the low back and buttock into the thigh, calf and foot.  Patients report that sitting is more bothersome than standing or walking.

Sciatica pain usually goes away over time. Patient needs to seek a doctor's advise and evaluation if self-care measures failed to relieve symptoms of pain or the pain lasts longer than a week, became severe or progressively worsening.  Also immediate help is needed if the pain is sudden, severe in the low back and affected leg, after a violent injury such as motor vehicle accident, also with difficulty to control bladder or bowels.