Medical Questions » Legs Questions » Question No. 568
| Question: | What could cause sharp stabs of pain that run from my buttock down my leg? |
| Answer: | Almost certainly you are suffering from sciatica. This is caused by the pinching of a nerve as it emerges from the spinal cord between two vertebrae low in your back. The pain is not always felt at the point of pinching, but where die nerve runs.
The sciatic nerve is made up of many spinal nerves that join together in the middle of your buttock, at a point where rhe pain is often first felt. The nerve then runs down the back of your thigh and calf, giving off branch nerves to supply the muscles and other structures of the leg. Some unlucky victims feel the shooting pains associated with sciatica all the way from the back to the foot.
Investigation of the problem will involve careful examination of your back by a doctor, and x-rays to determine why the nerve is being pinched. Most patients can be helped by adequate treatment in the form of medication, physiotherapy, and occasionally surgery.
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