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E-Diagnosis
sciatic nerve in sciatica, anatomic diagram from behind

Acute Sciatica

Sciatica affects up to 40% of people at some point in their lifetime. 90% of cases are caused by a slipped disc and resolve naturally within 6-12 weeks. However, 10% of patients require surgical intervention. Sciatica is a major cause of work disability.
Photo of a doctor discussing treatment options for herniated/slipped discs with a patient, showing models of surgical procedures on the table

Symptoms and Causes of Sciatica

Symptoms

The symptoms of sciatica usually affect your bottom and the back of one leg, often including your foot and toes. Symptoms include:

  • A sharp, burning pain down the back of the leg which extends to the toes
  • Tingling – like pins and needles
  • Numbness
  • Weakness

Symptoms may come on suddenly but they can also start slowly.

The pain may be worse when moving, sneezing or coughing. You may also experience back pain, but it’s not usually as bad as the pain in your leg.

Causes of Sciatica

Sciatica occurs when something presses or rubs on the sciatic nerve, such as:

  • A slipped disc – when the soft cushion of tissue (nucleus pulposus) in discs between the vertebrae in your spine pushes out due to degenerative disc disease, causing the disc to move from its natural position, allowing it to put pressure on the sciatic nerve.

    This is the most common cause of sciatica and is more likely to happen as you get older.

    For more information, see our degenerative disc disease overview (PDF)

  • Spinal stenosis – narrowing of the part of your spine where nerves pass through
  • Spondylolisthesis – when one of the bones in your spine slips out of position
  • A back injury
Annotated lumbar spine MRI showing a herniated disc with dehydration and protrusion compressing spinal nerves, compared with normal healthy discs.

Why Are You in Pain?

  1. Degenerated disc fragments compressing the sciatic nerve
  2. Degeneration of a lumbar disc, due to multiple factors (genetic, postural, traumatic, overload, etc.)
  3. Disc pinching, with dehydrated, bulging (protrusion) and sometimes inflammatory (‘modic’) changes of the disc

Does Sciatica Heal Naturally?

Mild cases often resolve on their own. However, once repeat symptoms become acute, they normally continue to deteriorate until surgical intervention is required.

Close up of a surgeon operating on a disc replacement surgery, showing the surgeon's head looking down

What Treatments are Available?

Treatments for slipped discs vary depending on the severity of the symptoms.

For mild cases, painkillers, physiotherapy and walking will help to resolve symptoms naturally.

If frequency and severity of symptoms increase, surgical intervention is often required.

Typical options available to patients are:

  • Steroid injections provide temporary relief of symptoms by decreasing inflammation around the site of slipped or herniated discs which are the cause of sciatica.
  • Discectomy to relieve symptoms by removing disc fragments pressing on the sciatic nerve.
    Discectomies often provide temporary symptom relief as further disc degeneration occurs allowing additional disc fragments to press on spinal nerves.
  • Spinal fusion which permanently fuses vertebrae together using titanium rods and screws allowing the degenerated disc to be removed.
  • Prodisc® L total lumbar disc replacement which replaces the degenerated natural disc with an artificial disc to restore spinal mobility and permanently relieve symptoms.

For further information on surgical options, please see our page on slipped & herniated disc treatment.

Diagram showing the location of a disc replacement

How Does SpinePro Treat Sciatica?

SpinePro offers Prodisc® L total lumbar disc replacement, a minimally invasive surgical procedure which fully restores spinal mobility and permanently relieves symptoms by replacing the degenerated natural disc with an artificial disc. For an in-depth comparison of treatments, please see our treatment options page.