One common term used to describe pain is sciatica. Sciatica is used to describe the pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in the body – connecting the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles. When someone has sciatic pain, they generally describe it as “shooting pain”.
This pain is caused when the nerves in the lower spine are either compressed or irritated. There are many causes of sciatica and a few include: pinching or stretching of the sciatic nerve, herniated disc, spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis, just to name a few.
Many times, this pain will go away with minimal treatments; i.e. avoiding the activity that causes the pain, cold / heat treatments, pain relievers and/or exercise. If this pain continues for more than 6 weeks or becomes severe, it is recommended that the individual see their physician or a spine specialist.
