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Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition

Sciatica

by Genevieve Slomski, , PhD

Category: Disease/Disorder

Anatomy or system affected: Back, hips, legs, nerves, nervous system, spine

Specialties and related fields: Family medicine, internal medicine, neurology

Definition: Painful inflammation of one of the sciatic nerves.

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS

The two sciatic nerves are the largest nerves in the body. One runs from the spine down the left leg, the other down the right leg; they supply the tissues of the thigh, lower leg, and foot. The roots of the sciatic nerves are in the lower spinal column. It is here that difficulty is most likely to occur. Inflammation of these nerves is most often caused by a pinching of one or more spinal nerve roots between the vertebrae of the lower back.

Information on Sciatica

Causes: Vitamin deficiencies, arthritic inflammation in lower spine, prolonged constipation, tumors, slipped disk, pregnancy

Symptoms: Shooting pain down sciatic nerve and extending into hip, thigh, and back portion of leg

Duration: Acute to chronic

Treatments: Surgery, heat application, medications, physical therapy

Sciatica is characterized by shooting pain down the sciatic nerve and extending into the hip, the thigh, and the back portion of the leg. The pain may occur in all these points at once or skip about from point to point. Sciatica often begins with a long period of intermittent, mild low back pain. Suddenly, however, the slightest movement, such as lifting a weight or merely bending over, may bring about intense sciatic pain.

A mild case of sciatica can be brought on by vitamin deficiencies or by arthritic inflammation in the lower spine. Prolonged constipation can build pressure on the nerve and cause sciatic pain. Occasionally, a tumor may develop near the nerve and press on it. Sometimes, a herniated, or slipped, disk at the level where the nerve roots emerge in the low back may protrude and press on the nerve, thereby causing sciatica.

TREATMENT AND THERAPY

If the sciatic nerve is being compromised, surgery may be indicated. More than 50 percent of patients with sciatica, however, recover on their own in six weeks. In the acute stage, rest is essential. Heat may give temporary relief from pain. The type of medication used depends on the cause of the sciatica. Ultimately, a therapeutic exercise program to develop stabilizing strength and endurance in the trunk muscles is essential for functional recovery.

See also Back pain; Lower extremities; Nervous system; Neuralgia, neuritis, and neuropathy; Neurology; Slipped disk.

For Further Information:

1 

Brown, Mark D., and Björn L. Rydevik, eds. Causes and Cure of Low Back Pain and Sciatica. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, 1991. Discusses the etiology and treatment of low back pain and sciatica. Includes bibliographical references.

2 

Fishman, Loren, and Carol Ardman. Back Pain: How to Relieve and Cure Low Back Pain and Sciatica. New York: W. W. Norton, 1999. Discusses the mechanisms of backache and offers some treatment options. Includes bibliographical references and an index.

3 

Gillette, Robert D. “A Practical Approach to the Patient with Back Pain.” American Family Physician 53, no. 2 (February 1, 1996): 670-678. When treatment is based on a specific diagnosis, when patients are followed proactively to recovery, and when psychosocial factors receive appropriate attention, then the management of back pain will probably be effective.

4 

Hooper, Paul D. Preventing Low Back Pain. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1992. Discusses such topics as the prevention of backache and its treatment, including chiropractic. Includes bibliographical references and an index.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Slomski, Genevieve. "Sciatica." Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition, edited by Anubhav Agarwal,, Salem Press, 2022. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=MMG2022_1205.
APA 7th
Slomski, G. (2022). Sciatica. In A. Agarwal, (Ed.), Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Slomski, Genevieve. "Sciatica." Edited by Anubhav Agarwal,. Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2022. Accessed October 22, 2025. online.salempress.com.