What Is Sciatica? Symptoms, Causes, and When to See a Physio in Keswick

Sciatica is one of the most common — and most misunderstood — causes of lower back and leg pain. If you've felt a sharp, shooting pain running from your lower back down through your buttock and leg, you may be dealing with it. Here's what you need to know.

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your lower back, through your hips and buttocks, and down each leg. When this nerve is irritated or compressed, the result is pain, numbness or tingling along its path.

Importantly, sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The goal of treatment is to identify and address what's irritating the nerve in the first place.

Common Symptoms

• Sharp, burning or shooting pain from the lower back into the leg
• Numbness or tingling in the leg or foot
• Weakness in the affected leg
• Pain that worsens when sitting, coughing or sneezing
• Discomfort usually affecting one side of the body

What Causes It?

Several issues can compress or irritate the sciatic nerve, including:

• Herniated or bulging discs pressing on the nerve root
• Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal
• Piriformis syndrome, where a deep buttock muscle irritates the nerve
• Prolonged sitting and poor movement habits

When to See a Physiotherapist

You should book an assessment if your pain:

• Lasts longer than a week or keeps returning
• Radiates below the knee
• Comes with noticeable weakness or numbness
• Interferes with sleep, work or daily activities

At Anchor, our physiotherapists perform a thorough assessment to find the source of your sciatica, then build a personalized plan combining hands-on therapy and targeted movement to relieve pressure on the nerve and prevent it from coming back.

You don't have to live with sciatica. The earlier you address it, the faster and more complete your recovery tends to be.

Ready to get to the root of your pain? Book an appointment with our Keswick physiotherapy team today.