Hey everyone! This is Dr. David Middaugh, physical therapist with El Paso Manual Physical Therapy.

I just want to explain a little about sciatica today.

The sciatic nerve is a giant nerve that comes off the spine in the lower back, goes into the butt area and travels down the back of the leg.

The nerve travels all the way down to the foot and to the tips of your toes!

Symptoms in the sciatic nerve as a result, can come from the glute area, the back of the thigh, the back of the lower leg (calf area) and into the foot as well.

Surprisingly, it is not always pain that people experience when this is the problem. They may get numbness, tingling. It can also present as plantar fasciitis.

One of the more common symptoms people get is cramping! People often complain of cramping in the bottom of the foot, in the calf and into the hamstring.

There’s lots of causes for sciatica type symptoms.

The nerve starts in the low back or lumbar spine.

The nerves come together, then come out of the pelvis in the glute area, where it passes under the piriformis.

Then it travels down the back of the thigh between the hamstrings. As it comes down the leg past the knee and before the ankle, it changes names to the tibial nerve.

Then it goes down under the foot and runs just deep to the plantar fascia under the foot. This is why plantar fasciitis is so commonly misdiagnosed when the real issue is a nerve problem.

There are giant plantar nerves there that could be causing the pain!

The other 2 problem areas are in the low back where the nerves exit the spine. Then in the pelvis, the bones can get shifted and this can put pressure or tension on the sciatic nerve.

We focus on making sure that all those joints are moving well, that you’re active and mobile, working to get off painkillers and avoiding surgery.

Keep in mind that medication does not fix sciatica. We’ve got to find out the root of the problem and address that to correct this.

Sciatica is a very fixable problem. We treat people with it all the time, it is just a matter of getting to the root of the issue.

As far as treatment, we cannot make a general recommendation for what to do because there are so many causes for it. You’ll need a specific plan with certain exercises or stretches to address this problem.

Treatments that might help one individual with their sciatica might make your symptoms worse. Make sure you talk to an expert to get the right plan for your needs.