Sciatica is characteristically felt as pain in the buttock and / or into the leg. The pain may be accompanied by numbness or tingling in the leg or foot and in severe cases weakness in certain muscle groups of the leg or foot. The problem occurs due to pressure or inflammation affecting part of the sciatic nerve, this nerve starts in the low back, passes through the buttock and extends down the leg to the foot. Identifying the severity and exact point at which the irritation occurs usually dictate the best way of managing this conditio, MRI scans can be very useful for this.
