When does my pain indicate the need for sciatica treatment?
Lots of us suffer from back pain. But how do I know if this pain I’m feeling in the lower back is more than just a problem with my posture, and something serious like sciatica?
Back pain is very common. Around 90 percent of us have lower back pain at some point in our lives. (Count me in on that statistic!) And 50 percent of us will have more than one episode.
A large percentage of people in doctors’ waiting rooms are there with back complaints. And it is one the main reasons people give for taking a day off work sick.
One of the common causes of this pain is sciatica.
It’s caused when our sciatica nerve — the longest in the body, running from the lower back down through the backside and down the leg — gets irritated.
The pain will be felt either in the lower back itself, or behind the thigh and below the knee. (I said the nerve was a long one.)
The temptation for the person hit with this pain is to rest. Unfortunately this usually makes things worse. So if you get this sort of pain, I’d advise you to see some advice and sciatica treatment early.