Sciatic Nerve Pain Synonyms: Lumbar radiculopathy, sciatica, “pinched nerve” The sciatic nerve is a large nerve originating from the lower spine and spinal cord, running behind the leg. The main function of the nerve is to allow for normal feeling, reflexes and muscle function. Nerves are physical tissues, similar to tendons, muscles and ligaments and have physical requirements. The three main physical requirements a nerve has is: • Space: Nerves in your body run through tunnels, muscles and around tendons. When space is taken away from a nerve (example - compression), the nerve may develop symptoms such as pins and needles, numbness, weakness and even eventually pain. If you compress the ulnar nerve next to your “funny bone,” you are bound to feel pins-and-needles in your fingers. • Movement: New studies, using diagnostic ultrasound, have shown that nerves work similar to dental floss. When a someone straightens out his/her leg, the sciatic nerve will slide down the leg and when the leg is bent again, it slides back. When a therapist or physician pulls on your leg (straight leg raise), he/she is trying to assess how well the nerve can slide/glide and even how sensitive it is to the movement. When nerves don’t move well (tight muscles, small spaces, scar tissue, etc.), nerves may become a source of pain. • Blood: Nerves LOVE blood! This ties in directly to the movement needed and described above. Approximately one quarter of all the blood in your body goes to the nervous system. When nerves are subjected to prolonged stretching, such as hamstring stretches or sitting in a car on a long road trip, they may cause some pain. Physical therapy is a movement-based profession and when physical therapists examine and treat nerve injuries, one of their objectives would be to “give the nerve back what it wants” - space, movement and blood. This may include exercise, manual stretching/movements, nerve glides, advice on positioning and more. Nerve sensitivity: It is also important to note that when nerves are subjected to injury/irritation long enough, they become much more “sensitive.” Nerves can become sensitive to temperature, movement, pressure and even stress. The good news is that research has shown that when patients understand nerve pain, (thus reducing fear and use gentle movements to give a nerve back some blood) space and movement, the nerve sensitivity will decrease and thus pain over time will also decrease. For more information - ask your Physical Therapist All rights reserved ISPI 2007 Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Education is Therapy