Sciatica is a condition in which a herniated or ruptured disc presses on the sciatic nerve, which is the large nerve that extends down the spinal column to its exit point in the pelvis and carries nerve fibers to the leg.
The compression that is produced by sciatica causes shock-like or burning
lower back pain combined with pain through the buttocks and down one leg to below the knee, occasionally reaching the foot. In the most extreme cases, when the nerve is pinched between the disc and an adjacent bone, the symptoms involve numbness and some loss of motor control over the leg due to interruption of nerve signaling.
Sciatica is usually caused by a ruptured or herniated disc that is pressing on a nerve root. It may also be caused by:
- A tumor
- A cyst
- Metastatic disease
- Degeneration of the sciatic nerve root.
Although smoking may not directly cause
back pain, it can increase a person's risk of developing lower back pain, both with and without sciatica.
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