Sciatica is a type of pain that radiates within the path of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve that spreads from the lower back to your hips and down to the back of both left and right legs. Many people confuse sciatica with general back pain, but it is important to know that sciatica is not limited to the back because it affects the widest and longest nerve of our body, meaning sciatica can occur in your back, hips, buttock, and legs.

The most common cause of sciatica is a compressed nerve in the lower spine, usually when a herniated disk compresses part of the nerve. When that happens, the affected leg will experience pain, inflammation, and numbness. Irritation of the roots of the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine can also cause sciatica. The following are some other conditions that can cause sciatica: