Sciatica

Symptoms and Signs
There will be sharp, shooting pain down the buttock, thigh, leg and down the foot. These symptoms of shooting pain are usually on one side of the body with numbness, tingling and burning. The area of symptoms and pain usually depend upon the nerve that is involved. Sitting may aggravate the nerve, causing more pain (Figure 5). Similar to the straight leg raise sign, sitting will place tension or a stretch on the nerve. Coughing, sneezing, or moving may also aggravate the sciatic nerve, causing pain. Sciatic pain will improve by standing or lying down. It feels like a nerve pain and the patient can usually diagnose sciatica.