A large amount of confusion and misunderstanding exists concerning the conditions sciatica and piriformis syndrome. There are some who insist that the two conditions are actually the same thing, but even though they can have symptoms that are very much alike, the underlying causes differ. Sciatica refers to irritation of the sciatic (often mis-spelled as syatic or psyatic) nerve, that arises...

Sciatica is not a specific disease, instead it is a condition characteristic of several different diseases. Simply put, it is a mild to intense pain in the left or right leg. Sciatica is caused by a compression of one or more of the five sets of nerve roots in the lower back. These compressions are typically caused by a disc rupture or bone spur in the lumbar spine. It causes pain, numbness,...

For those of us who have suffered from a pinched nerve, we realize exactly how inconvenient and painful it can be. A pinched nerve can occur at almost any part of the body where a nerve is present and may occur as a result of bone or cartilage pressing against the nerve itself. Although pinched nerve pain is often associated with back problems, it is possible for the pain to occur in many...

Have you ever experienced a literal pain in the butt that continues all the way down your leg? Has it ever felt like someone was sticking a hot poker into your leg? If either of these scenarios is familiar to you, you've probably suffered from sciatica, a pain in the sciatic nerve. No one experiencing sciatica wants it to stick around any longer than, well, at all, so let's not delay in...

It is pain in the butt quite literally. It can also be a pain in the hip, the thigh, the lower leg, or even the foot. In fact, the condition known as sciatica can send pain shooting anywhere in your lower body. What is causing all the commotion is the sciatic nerve, which is not one but a group of nerves bound together in a single sheath. The sciatica nerve runs from your lower back down each leg...