Sciatica: Why It Hurts Down Your Leg, 6 Things That Help and the Red Flags Not to Ignore

Sciatica happens when the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down each leg, is irritated or squeezed, most often by a bulging disc. It causes pain that can feel sharp, burning or electric, usually on one side.

A shooting pain from your back to your foot makes every step miserable. Six weeks later, after staying gently active and following a simple plan, you are walking normally again, like most people with sciatica.

Symptoms

• Pain in the buttock and down the back of the leg, often below the knee
• Numbness, tingling or pins and needles in the leg or foot
• Weakness in the leg or foot
• Pain worse when sitting, coughing or sneezing

6 things that help

1. Keep moving: gentle walks and normal activities as much as pain allows
2. Gentle stretches, such as knee-to-chest and lying hamstring stretches
3. Heat packs to ease muscle spasm
4. Pain relief as advised by a pharmacist or prescriber; some common painkillers do not work well for nerve pain, so ask
5. Avoid sitting for long periods; get up every 30 minutes
6. Physiotherapy or a supervised exercise programme

Most people improve within 4–6 weeks. Some need longer, and a small number need injections or surgery.

See a health professional if

• Pain is severe or getting worse
• It has not improved after 4–6 weeks
• You have weakness in your leg or foot
• You also have fever, weight loss or a history of cancer

“But shouldn’t I rest in bed until the pain goes?”

Bed rest usually slows recovery. Guidance from NICE and other bodies advises staying as active as you can, with gentle movement, walking and specific exercises.

Related: Back pain in nurses

Sources: NICE guideline NG59, Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s; NHS sciatica guidance.