Sciatica itself is not actually a diagnosis but rather a symptom caused by another condition in your body. The cause can be anything from a lumbar (low back) herniated disc, narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis), degenerative disc disease (osteoarthritis), to other ailments of the lower back region. The effect is that increased pressure gets puts on the sciatic nerve and/or its branches which cause the symptoms.
Common symptoms of sciatica include; consistent burning, tingling, numbing type pain down the leg and/or into the buttocks (usually this occurs only on one side but can be both), weakness in the leg, foot or toes, sharp lower back pain especially when standing or walking, increased pain when sitting and pain in the groin region.
To find out more about sciatica and how a chiropractor may be able to help, click here.