Sciatica can come on suddenly or gradually. Does sciatica occur suddenly or does it take time to develop? It’s simply a matter of where the nerve is being pinched along the spinal column. However, it’s possible for sciatica to occur in both legs. Sciatica usually affects only one leg at a time. A forced and sudden body movement, like a cough or sneeze, can also make the pain worse. The pain may feel worse if you sit or stand for long periods of time, when you stand up and when your twist your upper body. Also, the pain is usually more severe in your leg compared to your lower back.

The pain may be constant or may come and go. Others describe this pain as “burning,” 'electric” or “stabbing.” Some people describe the pain as sharp, shooting, or jolts of pain. People describe sciatica pain in different ways, depending on its cause. It can also cause muscle weakness in your leg and foot, numbness in your leg, and an unpleasant tingling pins-and-needles sensation in your leg, foot and toes. If you have “sciatica,' you experience mild to severe pain anywhere along the path of the sciatic nerve – that is, anywhere from the lower back, through the hips, buttocks and/or down your legs. What this pain shares in common is an injury to a nerve - an irritation, inflammation, pinching or compression of a nerve in your lower back.

True injury to the sciatic nerve “sciatica” is actually rare, but the term “sciatica” is commonly used to describe any pain that originates in the lower back and radiates down the leg. The sciatic nerve then branches into other nerves, which continue down your leg and into your foot and toes. On each side of your body, one sciatic nerve runs through your hips, buttocks and down a leg, ending just below the knee. The five nerve roots come together to form a right and left sciatic nerve. It’s actually made up of five nerve roots: two from the lower back region called the lumbar spine and three from the final section of the spine called the sacrum. The sciatic nerve is the longest and thickest (almost finger-width) nerve in the body. Sciatica is nerve pain from an injury or irritation to the sciatic nerve, which originates in your buttock/gluteal area. True sciatica is an injury or irritation to the sciatic nerve, which starts in your buttock/gluteal area.

Emg for sciatica