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Most people I know have had some kind of back pain over the years and will say how debilitating and agonizing it can be. Often enough the symptoms are easy to recognize, but also difficult to treat.

Sciatica describes a common form of low back or leg pain that is often used by people without really understanding what the term sciatica means. Sciatica is used as a symptomatic term rather than a diagnostic one, meaning that it is usually referring to a set of symptoms as opposed to using it as a diagnosis for what is actually causing the pain.

The two sciatic nerves are surprisingly fairly large and are about the size of the little finger. They emerge from the spine at the bottom, passing behind the hip joint, running down the buttock and then down the back of the leg to the foot.

Having the pain of Sciatica means that a sciatic nerve is being squashed or pinched or adversely affected by another part of the spinal column, giving varying degrees of pain in the lower back, on one side of the rear or down the back of the leg.

The pain of Sciatica can not only come from the lower back or down the back of each leg sometimes it can even run into the feet and toes. Other sensations that may be linked to sciatica can be prickly sensations or a burning and tingling which usually occurs down one side of the body.

Depending on where the nerve is being affected, people will feel different kinds of pain. The pain can come and go and is usually worse if the patient has been sitting or standing for any length of time. The pain comes as a shooting jolt if a person sneezes, coughs, laughs or a difficult bowel movement.

Along with the pain some may have difficulty in moving the leg or foot. How long and how severe the pain of Sciatica will be depends on the severity of the cause of the sciatica. Some patients find that they are seriously debilitated by the severity of their pain whilst some may find that their sciatica comes and goes and they can cope with it on a day to day basis.

Depending on the particular cause of the patient's sciatica, the leg pain or low back pain could worsen over time and/or take much longer to be relieved. All sciatica symptoms should be reported to your doctor, especially if bending over becomes a problem, you suddenly lose a large amount of weight or you find the weakness in your legs and feet is getting worse after a week or so. If you are under 55 and you have sciatica for the first time it is best to get it checked. The pain could be an indication of perhaps something more serious and if your symptoms do not improve over a few days it is best to get a medical opinion.

Any other symptoms should be reported immediately to your local hospital: If you have had a fall or a violent bang to your spine, the pain is in the back of your chest, the pain cannot be controlled by painkillers and is unbearable, you cannot control your legs or feet, you have a temperature over 101 or you have lost control of your bowel or bladder movements.

The best thing overall is when in doubt don't be tempted to self diagnose. Always seek medical advice. Although you may be suffering from a simple case of a pinched nerve there may underlying concerns about your back in general which should be checked.

Learn more about this author, Jane Allyson.
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