Guide To Sciatic Nerve Pain
Approximately five to 10 percent of people who have low back pain have sciatica. Although sciatica can be painful and disruptive, most people who have it will recover within six to 12 weeks with the proper treatment. If you think you might be suffering from sciatic nerve pain, this guide will help you understand what sciatica is, the different types of sciatica, the various causes, the symptoms and the treatment options.
Who Is At Risk For Sciatica
It is estimated that over 40% of the population will experience sciatica at some time. The most common age for developing sciatica is between 40 to 50 years of age however it can affect any age group.
The major risk factors associated with sciatica are patients who have
- Pre-existing spinal degeneration
1. Disc Bulge or Herniation
Causes Of Sciatic Pain
Compressed nerves often cause sciatic pain. Sciatica pain in the foot is usually accompanied by pain in your lower back. This pain seems to radiate from your lower back through your leg, ending in your foot. A slipped disc can press on the sciatic nerve root, causing pain and discomfort.
The following lower back conditions can contribute to sciatic pain:
It would be best if you found out the specific cause of your foot pain. It can be done through an examination by a trained physician for a complete diagnosis.
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Getting Pain We Can Help
If youre experiencing pain in your feet and are worried that its a nerve compression or other problem that originates in your back or somewhere else, we can help. Our experienced podiatry team will work to assess, diagnose and help treat the problem to alleviate your symptoms, and reduce the likelihood of it returning.
Where necessary, well refer you for imaging and involve other health professions to ensure you get the best long-term result.
Book your appointment online by here or calling us on
How Is Sciatica Treated
The goal of treatment is to decrease your pain and increase your mobility. Depending on the cause, many cases of sciatica go away over time with some simple self-care treatments.
Self-care treatments include:
- Appling ice and/or hot packs: First, use ice packs to reduce pain and swelling. Apply ice packs or bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel to the affected area. Apply for 20 minutes, several times a day. Switch to a hot pack or a heating pad after the first several days. Apply for 20 minutes at a time. If youre still in pain, switch between hot and cold packs whichever best relieves your discomfort.
- Taking over-the-counter medicines: Take medicines to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling. The many common over-the-counter medicines in this category, called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , include aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen . Be watchful if you choose to take aspirin. Aspirin can cause ulcers and bleeding in some people. If youre unable to take NSAIDS, acetaminophen may be taken instead.
- Performing gentle stretches: Learn proper stretches from an instructor with experience with low back pain. Work up to other general strengthening, core muscle strengthening and aerobic exercises.
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How Long Should I Try Self
Every person with sciatic pain is different. The type of pain can be different, the intensity of pain is different and the cause of the pain can be different. In some patients, a more aggressive treatment may be tried first. However, generally speaking, if a six-week trial of conservative, self-care treatments like ice, heat, stretching, over-the-counter medicines has not provided relief, its time to return to a healthcare professional and try other treatment options.
Other treatment options include:
What Is The Treatment For Sciatica Foot Pain
The treatment route depends on whether youre suffering from acute or chronic sciatic nerve pain.
Treatment for acute sciatica includes taking self-care measures like:
- Taking over-the-counter painkillers
- Brisk walking or doing light-stretching exercises
- Using hot and cold compression packs on the lower back region
Remember, while you might feel the pain in your foot, you need to treat the of the pain, which is your lower back. Treatment for chronic sciatica foot pain, on the other hand, involves the same self-care measures prescribed for acute pain combined with some medical treatments that include:
- Physical therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy which trains the affected individuals to react differently to their pain
- Surgery when the symptoms continue to intensify despite other treatments
Surgical options might involve doing a lumbar laminectomy where doctors widen the spinal cord in the lower back region to reduce pressure on the nerves or a discectomy, which is a procedure that involves partially or completely removing a herniated disk. Surgery is always the last resort after all other options fail to yield the desired results.
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Foot Pain Caused By A Bulging Disc
The good news is that most actual structural issues leading to herniated disc foot pain can usually be resolved with appropriate treatment. Whether a patient uses conservative or surgical modalities to treat the herniated disc, a cure should come about in the allotted time frame.
For patients who do not find lasting relief, despite a number of attempted therapy options, the best course of action may be to reconsider the diagnostic theory, as it is likely to be invalid.
In some of these cases, ischemia may be a less often considered, but more logical, answer as to why the pain has not responded. This is the same type of pain which ravaged me for years, so I know how it can be easily misidentified as coming from a lumbar herniated disc. However, patients should always be evaluated for other possible structural causations, as well. For example, cervical spinal stenosis can be the actual cause of sciatica sufferings, with coincidental lumbar disc abnormalities commonly and mistakenly taking the blame.
Herniated Disc Foot Pain Synopsis
However, upon more detailed study, which may be rarely performed by a treating physician, the actual symptoms are far too numerous and widespread to be the result of a single herniation. This is in addition to the basic fact that most herniated discs are not symptomatic at all, anyway. If the disc symptoms do not match, the diagnosis is likely to be wrong. In this case, the reason why treatments fail time and time again is obvious.
Once Sciatica Goes Away Will It Come Back
Sciatica can and does come back, especially when a person has a chronic medical condition. People who do not make lifestyle changes to prevent more sciatic pain may also redevelop symptoms. If you have recurring episodes of pain that arent getting better with time, contact our board-certified and experienced specialists today to ensure your sciatica is properly treated for long-term relief.
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How Is Hip Pain And Leg Pain Treated
Hip pain and leg pain can get better even if you do not know the cause. We offer injection and non-injection therapy to treat chronic hip pain and leg pain. Possible treatment options that your doctor may send you to us for include:
- Hip Joint Injection
- Lumbar Selective Nerve Root Injection
- Sacroiliac Joint Injection
Diagnosing Sciatica And Leg Swelling
The best way to diagnose sciatica, leg swelling and any other issues in your lower extremities is to visit your primary care doctor. A doctor can diagnose if another underlying issue, such as a problem with your heart or kidneys, is the cause of leg swelling. This is usually determined through a review of medical history, blood tests, a physical examination and possibly diagnostic imagery like an MRI. Once a diagnosis has been made, you and your doctor can work together to develop a treatment plan to ease the discomfort associated with sciatica and leg swelling in order to help you get back to a fuller, more active life.
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Foot Pain Caused By Compression Of Nerves In The Hip Knee Or Leg
Foot pain can also occur when nerves are compressed or damaged along their path in the hip, knee, or leg. For example:
- Peroneal neuropathy, a condition where the peroneal nerve is compressed or injured near the knee may cause foot pain and foot drop when you try to move your foot.5
- Sciatic neuropathy or damage to the sciatic nerve in the pelvic region may cause foot pain along the top of your foot with some degree of weakness.6
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome or dysfunction of the tibial nerve within the tarsal tunnel of the inner ankle may cause a sharp, shooting pain in your ankle area and along the sole of your foot.7
- Sural nerve entrapment can occur in the leg or near the ankle and typically causes shooting pain along the outer side of your ankle and/or foot.8
Additionally, a corn may develop on the skin around your toes. Corns grow over time as a result of excessive friction, and they can compress nearby nerves, causing pain and other symptoms. Another possible cause of nerve pain in your foot is Mortonâs neuroma, which is a thickening of the tissue around a nerve in the foot.
Read more about Causes of Leg Pain and Foot Pain
Can Sciatica Cause Foot Pain
Sciatica, which is medically known as radicular pain, occurs from an inflammation of a nerve in the spine that now radiates down the sciatic nerve. This nerve is what serves the hips, buttocks, back of the knee and lower leg muscles, and offers feeling to the thighs back and feet soles. Foot pain can be caused by a sciatic problem that can emanate from or be related to a spine issue.
Whereby foot pain occurs accompanied by pain in the leg, it is very likely that it is due to an issue or problem in the lumbar region. Foot pain may result from an unrelated lower back issue and a back issue may be the origin of an underlying sciatic problem. When there is a malfunction in the lumbar back area, problems of the nerves that go into other parts of the body may come up. This includes nerves that go into the foot and stem from this zone. Lower back issues such as lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and a herniated lumbar disc may cause sciatica and eventual foot pain.
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If you are suffering from foot pain that is a result of a sciatic issue, then you need to beware that it will mostly be localized in the foot only.
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How Is A Sciatica Treated
If the sciatica is caused predominantly by irritation and inflammation and not severe compression, conservative care is recommended. Physical therapy, chiropractic, massage therapy and interventional procedures such as epidural shots can reduce the inflammation and the symptoms will resolve. Management such as good posture and body mechanics, strengthening core muscles and maintaining spinal flexibility can prevent it from reoccurring. Conservative care options for sciatica are:
How Serious Is Foot Pain Caused By Sciatica
Foot pain is an affliction that seems to affect almost everybody at some point in their lives. While most of the time it is caused by some outside disturbance or a problem within the foot itself, sometimes foot pain is caused by a completely different part of the body. One of the main problem areas that can cause foot pain is the back. Lets take a closer look at the link between back problems, sciatica, and foot pain!
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Sciatica Symptoms Warning Signs And Tips To Minimize Pain
Sciatica, or pain radiating down your leg and into the ankle and foot, is caused by compression of the nerve roots. In addition to pain on the outer side of the foot, sciatica resulting from S1 nerve root compression may also be accompanied by pain, numbness, and weakness in the leg.
In most cases, sciatica affects one leg and foot at a time however, its possible for sciatica to occur in both legs depending on the location of the compressed nerve. You may also experience foot drop, or the inability to lift the front of your foot, also as a result of compression of the nerve roots.
If You Suspect Sciatica
Seeing a Physical Therapist or Orthopedic Physician is a great first step. In many cases, physicians will not prescribe medications or medical imaging until you have tried a conservative treatment approach first. So I would lean toward Physical Therapy first.
Because Sciatica is often a result of inflammation at the nerve the goal is to help promote a positive environment for healing. In order to do that we need to eliminate postures and movements that may be causing compression and strain to the Sciatic nerve.
If you recall, Sciatica is often triggered by pressure on the nerve from a disc in your back. Avoiding slumped back postures and minimizing sitting is key for reducing stress on the nerve. Stretching the nerve can also cause a spike in pain if done early on. We go into more detail in this article.
If we suspect Sciatica our go to exercises are discussed in the videos below.
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When Should I Contact My Healthcare Provider
Get immediate medical attention if you experience:
- Severe leg pain lasting more than a few hours that is unbearable.
- Numbness or muscle weakness in the same leg.
- Bowel or bladder control loss. This could be due to a condition called cauda equina syndrome, which affects bundles of nerves at the end of the spinal cord.
- Sudden and severe pain from a traffic accident or some other trauma.
Even if your visit doesnt turn out to be an emergency situation, its best to get it checked out.
What To Do If You Have Sciatica
If you are experiencing sciatic pain it is important to achieve an accurate diagnosis prior to commencing any treatment. This is achieved through a thorough examination process that allows your chiropractor or other health professional to discover the cause of your sciatica and design the best treatment for you.
Discover how chiropractic can help your sciatica.
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Sciatica Symptoms Or Something Else
Sciatica isnt the only reason for pain in the legs, ofcourse. Other conditions can mimic sciatica:
- Vascular disease: Narrowing of the bloodvessels in the legs can cause pain and cramps and might make it hard to walk.
- Peripheral neuropathy: Small nerves inthe legs can become damaged, causing burning, pain, tingling or numbness in thefoot or lower leg. This type of nerve damage is often related to diabetes,alcohol use disorder or other medical conditions.
- Peroneal neuropathy: An injury to the peroneal nerve below the knee can cause weakness and make it hard to lift the foot.
How can you tell if youre dealing with sciatica orsomething else? Sciatica tends to affect the length of the leg, not just thefoot. And most often, that pain radiates downward from top to bottom, Dr.Thomas says.
Another clue: Sciatica usually strikes just one side. If you have pain in both legs, it is less likely a disc herniation, but more likely due to degenerative changes like spinal stenosis, he says.
But How Does Sciatica Translate Into Foot And Ankle Pain
Well, if your sciatica is mild. You may feel temporary foot and ankle discomfort if you are standing for long periods at work or have to walk for a long distance. However, if more severe back problems like disc herniation or spinal stenosis are the root cause of your sciatica, it could also lead to more severe foot and ankle symptoms such as swelling, muscle spasms, or an inability to walk correctly.
Sciatic pain often starts in one leg but can then extend to both legs, into the buttocks, and down to the feet and toes. There are numerous causes for this condition, but one of two things usually trigger it: trauma an accident, illness or surgery, or a mechanical problem in your body like a herniated disk, piriformis syndrome, or pelvic congestion syndrome. It can also be caused by swelling of the spinal cord due to an infection such as Lyme disease.
The primary source of pain may be stabbing or burning in nature and often radiates down one side of the body from the spine. It can cause foot and ankle pain because it affects the nerves that travel down to these areas. Some patients also feel increasing tingling, numbness, or burning sensations when moving around or changing position.
Could sciatica be the cause of your foot and ankle pain?
If you are experiencing symptoms of pain in your feet and calves, as well as numbness or tingling in your legs, it is essential to be evaluated by a Physical Therapist because these symptoms could be signs that you have sciatica.
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