Overview



The sciatic nerve is viewed in this daigram originating in the spine and ending in the leg. That is why sciatica is leg pain. But there are other causes of leg pain which might look like sciatica but are not. Some of those casues are listed below.

Referred Pain (it's not where you think it is coming from) Hip Arthritis Hip Bursitis Facet Disease Annular Tear

Blood Vessel Disease (bad pipes) Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in big blood vessels in the legs

Nerve Diseases or Entrapments Peripheral Neuropathy (sick nerves), R.S.D. (reflex sympathetic dystrophy) or nerves under pressure

Establishing the diagnosis of sciatic may be very simple or very complex.