Back Pain and Sciatica

This is the most common presenting system. 80% of the general population at some time in their life will experience some form of back pain. There are many causes of back pain and different areas of the back can be affected. Low back or lumbar pain is frequently suffered resulting from tight aching muscles, painful muscle spasms, restricted movement and trapped nerves.

Sciatica is a symptom and not a condition. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It arises from 5 different spinal segments at the bottom of the back. It supplies the buttocks, the back of the thigh and everything below the knee. Depending on where the nerve is trapped will transfer pain to different areas of the buttock and leg. When the Sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated it can cause pain and numbness from the low back to the foot, or it could be referred pain to the muscles of the leg that the nerve supplies.