Sciatica Hip Calf Pain

Sciatica – Back, Leg & Calf Pain

If you are feeling pain in your back, leg and calf, the chances are you are suffering with sciatica. Before I go any further however, it is important I stress that sciatica is a descriptive term & not a diagnostic one. Anyone who is feeling pain anywhere from there back, through their buttock and down the back of their leg could be said to be suffering with sciatica.

However, the most important thing to establish is not that you are suffering with sciatica, but rather what is causing your sciatica! Two or three different people could be presenting with the same signs & symptoms, yet each of their causes may be different.

The sciatic nerve is formed from the nerve roots L4 – S3 which leave the lower part of the back. It then passes through the buttock region, down the back of the leg and then, via its branches, to the tips of the toes.

If this nerve is aggravated, either from its origin in the lower back or down the back of the leg, it has the potential to cause pain (as well as other signs & symptoms such as pins & needles, numbness and weakness).

The causes of sciatica can be numerous as I mentioned above. Nevertheless, the main culprits tend to be:

1) A prolapsed disc

A prolapsed disc will tend to pinch on the nerve roots which form the sciatic nerve as they leave the spine itself. If there is a prolapsed disc present, the aim is to reduce the bulge with specific exercises, such as lying on your stomach, and progressing as appropriate.

2) Facet Joint Irritation

As the nerve roots leave the spine, they can also be pinched by the facet joints of the lower back. If a facet joint in the lower back is aggravating the nerve roots of sciatic nerve, the aim would be to make the joints more mobile, enabling the nerve roots more ‘room to move’. This can be done by gently hugging your knees to your chest.

3) Muscle Imbalance

This is where tight & / or weak muscles allow too much stress to be placed across the sciatica nerve. A more specific stretching & strengthening exercise programme would need to be prescribed for this problem. If your pain is starting in the buttock region, there is a fair chance muscle imbalance is the main cause. A tight piriformis muscle is a very common cause of sciatica which starts in the buttock region.

NB Remember, you need to know which exercises are appropriate for your particular problem. With regards to the two exercise examples I have given above, if you were to perform the incorrect one, this may end up aggravating you pain instead of easing it. No exercises should make your pain worse, if they do, it is important to stop them.

The good news is that sciatica can nearly always be treated conservatively with an appropriate advice and exercise programme, whichever of the above 3 may be causing your pain.

The important thing to remember is that nearly all cases of sciatica can be treated and resolved 100% without any need for surgery. It is just knowing what to do and when to do it which is the critical factor.

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