How Sciatica Causes Back, Hip, Knee, and Foot Pain All at Once

Nearly four out of every five people in the United States will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. For too many of these people, back pain will become a daily part of their lives. Back injuries such as disc herniations, subluxations, and sciatica may lead to chronic discomfort, numerous painful positions and movements, and possibly ineffectual surgery in order to take care of the problem. Both muscle, ligament, disc, and nerve damage may lead to back pain, although damage to the spinal cord and sciatic nerves may be one of the more serious causes of lower back pain.

Sciatica is typically defined as pain somewhere along the sciatic nerve. This nerve begins in the lower back where the spinal cord branches out into two pathways as it travels down the legs to the feet. Compression in the sciatic nerve at any point along its length can cause sciatica. This compression may be caused by disc herniation, disc disease, bone spurs on the hips or vertebrae, and spinal stenosis, among other causes. When any of these happen, pressure may be put on the sciatic nerve or spinal cord, causing pain in the hips, lower back, legs, or even the feet. Pain may be present anywhere along the nerve.

There are three typical causes of nerve root compression that may lead to symptoms of sciatica. The first is if a disc begins to protrude through the spinal column and extra pressure is put on the nerve. Second, irregularities in the bone structure of the back may lead to sciatica; these may be bone spurs, osteoarthritis, or subluxations of the vertebrae due to trauma. A final common cause of symptoms indicating sciatica is a tumor or abscess along the spinal column that creates compressive forces on the nerve roots. The joints of the lumber spine or where the vertebrae meet the pelvis are the joints most affected.

Pain from sciatic nerve compression is often very uncomfortable, and is often described as having a burning or stabbing quality to it. This can make dealing with sciatica very difficult. It can also be experienced anywhere from the hips to the back of the legs all the way down below the knees. People who have sciatica can often feel pain even in their feet from damage in their backs. In fact, lower back pain may not even be present in people with sciatica -- the pain may be felt much further down the nerve pathway. Knee and ankle reflexes may also be affected by this disorder.

Painful sciatic nerve compression can occur in just about anybody, from extremely sedentary individuals to athletes who become injured in a traumatic fall or collision. And very often, the cause of the pain may be misidentified as coming from the knee or hips, when the problem is actually in the lower back and spine. But by knowing a few of the causes and symptoms of sciatica, more informed people may be able to identify why they are experiencing pain that does not go away and also begin treating the real cause of the problem, either on their own or with a doctor, clinician, physical therapist, or chiropractor.