Sciatic nerve pain is caused by compression of one or more of the five nerve roots in the lower back. This can be due to lower back disorders such as lumbar bulge, herniated disc, pregnancy, lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, blunt force trauma, or piriformis syndrome. Symptoms include leg pain, buttock pain, numbness, burning, and tingling.
Sciatic nerve pain, or sciatica, occurs when at least one of the five nerve roots in the lower back is compressed. There are several lower back disorders that can lead to compression of the sciatic nerve. Anything that irritates or compresses the sciatic nerve or the sciatic nerve root will cause pain.
The sciatic nerve starts at the back of the pelvis and runs under the buttock and down each leg. It is made up of five sets of nerve roots in the lumbar spine. Pain often occurs when a ruptured disc or abnormal bone growth in the lumbar spine compresses nerve roots. Symptoms of nerve compression are radiating leg pain, chronic or sharp pain on one side of the buttocks, as well as numbness, burning, and tingling in the leg.
A common cause of sciatic nerve pain is lower back swelling. Lumbar bulge is a swelling of a disc in the lumbar spine. The outer shell of the disc remains intact and the gelatinous core is contained within the disc. The swollen disc can put pressure on the nerve root and lead to sciatic pain.
A herniated disc is similar to a bulging lower back and also causes pain in the sciatic nerve. A herniated disc occurs when the fluid inside the disc in the lumbar spine expands out of the disc shell. This fluid can cause nerve compression. The fluid also contains a chemical that causes irritation of the sciatic nerve.
Sciatic nerve pain can occur during pregnancy. The expanding uterus sometimes irritates or compresses the sciatic nerve tissue. The pressure placed on the lumbar spine caused by the added weight can also lead to compression and therefore pain in the sciatic nerve.
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common cause of sciatic nerve pain in the elderly population. This disorder occurs when the roots of the sciatic nerve become compressed in the narrow passages, called neural foramina, in the hips between the bones and ligaments. The sciatic nerve roots use these passageways to travel from the lower back to the legs. It is not uncommon for them to become clogged or blocked with age.
Sciatic nerve pain is also associated with displaced or slipped lumbar vertebrae. This condition is called spondylolisthesis. Sometimes spondylolisthesis is present at birth and develops in childhood. Physical stress, such as weight lifting, trauma or spinal degeneration, also causes slippage of the lumbar vertebrae.
Sciatic nerve pain can also result from blunt force trauma to the lower back. A foreign object can strike and compress the sciatic nerve or nerve root. Bone fragments can break away from an injury and cause nerve compression. Sports injuries or car accidents are often associated with sciatic nerve pain.
Another cause of sciatic pain is a disorder called piriformis syndrome. Pirformis syndrome is caused by muscle spasms in the pirformis muscle, which runs directly over the sciatic nerve. When the muscle contracts, it irritates the nerve.
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