1. Blog: Khanhtrinhvn.com SCIATICA – IN A NUTSHELL If you think you are suffering from sciatica, you are not alone. Sciatica is very common these days. It may happen due to any reason ranging from spinal injury to anything causing irritation to the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the longest and widest nerve in human body. If you didn’t have any history regarding spinal problems or an injury, then too you are at risk of being taken by sciatica. This may be due to your old age, or profession involving lifting of heavy loads, or simply because of wrong body postures. Sciatica is often misunderstood by patients as common lower back pain or some disease. On the contrary it is actually a symptom for what is causing the pain and it needs to be correctly addressed in order to relive the discomfort. Sciatica pain can run from lower back to down the back of each leg, sometimes into the feet and toes. The severity and duration of pain also varies from patient to patient. Some may find it severe and debilitating, while others may experience sciatica pain as irritating and impermanent. Sometimes people experiencing sciatica also complain of burning, tingling and prickly sensation usually only on one side of the body. The episode of sciatica may last from four weeks to longer depending upon severity of problem associated with it. If the pain vanishes easily by taking over-the-counter painkillers and undergoing general exercises for lower back pain, you need not worry. But if pain is stubborn and stays for longer than four weeks, you need to visit a doctor for proper advice on sciatica treatment.