Sciatica

Sciatica is a term used to report the symptoms felt in the leg, such as numbness, pain, tingling, or weakness. Its medical term is radiculopathy following the pathway of the sciatica nerve due to different underlying causes:

Disc Herniation or "Slipped Disc": the soft inner gel is migrating back to the edge of the disc, provoking a bulge or, if it goes through, a herniation

Degenerative Disc Disease or Spondylosis: like any tissue in the body, after 25, the disc degenerates and becomes more dehydrated, changing its shape and function. It will, therefore, "pinch" the roots of the nerve.

Piriformis Syndrome: the sciatic nerve, the largest in the body, runs under the piriformis muscle or sometimes through. In this case, a severe contracture of this muscle will irritate the nerve, leading to moderate symptoms in the leg.

Pregnancy: the extra weight and instability of the sacroiliac joint, located in the pelvis and regard of the sciatic nerve, may cause pressure on the spine and compression of the sciatic nerve.

Spinal Stenosis: the nerves coming from the brain travel in canals and spaces in the spine. Primarily due to some local degeneration creating spurs call osteophytes, the channel can narrow (Stenosis), putting some pressure on the nerves in the lumbar spine. 

Isthmic Spondylolisthesis: the body of a vertebra slips over another, so the nerve's root may be entrapped, provoking chronic pain in a leg or two.

Trauma: like any body tissue, the sciatic nerve may be injured during an accident, including a fall or car crash. 

"The Wallet Syndrome" is not a familiar diagnosis, but it occurs. Commonly, men put their wallets in the back pocket of their trousers. This can lead to sustained pressure on the sciatica nerve going underneath and compressed.

According to one of these causes, the resented symptoms will differ depending on where the nerve or its root is pinched.

You can view a video on Sciatica at https://www.spine-health.com/video/sciatica-interactive-video.