The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that a study in North Carolina revealed that more than 10% of the people surveyed had chronic lower back pain. Sciatica is one common lower back issue, and one of its major symptoms is sciatic nerve pain. However, there are also several other symptoms that can point to sciatica.
1. Pain
Before moving on to the other symptoms of sciatica, it may help you to learn a bit more about sciatic nerve pain. The sciatic nerve is the longest in your body, and it runs from the lower back, through the buttocks and down the back of the leg all the way to the foot. When the sciatic nerve is pinched, it can cause pain sensations to run along the entire length of the nerve.
The pain often feels different depending on the person, how badly the nerve is pinched and where it’s been pinched. For example, some people describe the pain as severe, and they claim it feels like an electric shock running down the back of the leg. In other cases, the pain comes and goes or it settles in the buttocks and remains constant. Sciatic nerve pain can make it hard to get up from a chair, and it can be particularly bad after you’ve been sitting for a while.
2. Burning, tingling and numbness
Sciatic nerve pain isn’t the only symptom of sciatica, and the condition can cause you to feel several other sensations in your back, butt, leg and foot. Many sciatica patients report a burning sensation that feels like a match inside their body. Other people may feel tingling, and this is the same pins-and-needles sensation you feel after the blood rushes back into your leg when you’ve been sitting on it. Numbness is also a sensation you could feel if you have sciatica. All these sensations are the result of the same nerve pinching that causes sciatica pain.
3. Muscle weakness
Muscle weakness is another of the symptoms of sciatica, and it’s almost as common as sciatic nerve pain. Think of your nerve impulses like a Wi-Fi signal. When the nerve signal is high, muscles receive clear signals to move your arms, legs and other body parts. However, the nerve impulses can be interrupted or weakened when the sciatic nerve is pinched. These nerve impulse issues can lead to weaker muscles responses, and this can make it harder to walk and do other normal daily tasks.
Visit Peak Performance in Swansboro, NC, to get treatment for sciatic nerve pain and other symptoms
If you’re dealing with pain and other sciatica symptoms, Peak Performance has a clinic in Swansboro, North Carolina, that can help. Our team can help you find out the cause of your sciatica with an initial screening. Then, we’ll create a personalized and multilayered treatment plan for you that may include therapy techniques such as:
Are you ready to begin your sciatica treatment? We’re ready to support and encourage you throughout your entire recovery process. Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
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