Sponsor Sciatica Sciatica is characterised by pain in the lower back and gluteal region. This pain can radiate down one or both legs into the thigh, calf, ankle and foot.
Genuine sciatica occurs when pain travels below the knee.
Sciatic pain results when the base of the spine is compressed or when injury or pressure have compressed the spinal roots of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve systems are located in in the lumbar and the sacral regions of the spine. Sciatic pain can be described as sharp, dull, burning, tingly, numb, continuous or intermittant and usually only affects one side of the body. It can radiate the entire length of the nerve, in some cases all the way down to the toes. Each vertebral disk is composed of a tough outer layer of cartilage and a more elastic central area.