Back pain which radiates down to the legs is a symptom of irritation of sciatica nerve or impingements of the root nerves which give rise to each sciatica nerve. The pain caused due to sciatica nerve is felt in lower back and buttocks which very often shoots down to the legs, pricking of pins and needles like feeling, numbness, muscular weakness and difficulty in controlling leg movement is also experienced. This pain occurs only in one side of the body.

Back pain caused due to sciatica nerves most commonly occurs due to impingements of root nerves which give rise to sciatica nerve. Very rarely low backache occurs due to compression of sciatica nerve itself. Problem of herniated disc due to growing age, osteoarthritis or any other injury in the lower back also cause irritation of sciatica nerve which cause severe and chronic back pain. Damage to facet joints cause referred pain in the back which appears almost similar to the pain which occurs due to spinal nerve irritation, this pain is called as pseudo sciatica pain. The true sciatica pain is considered to reach beyond the knee level and also in later stages the leg pain becomes more severe than the backache and sometimes backache completely disappears. The backache due to sciatica gets aggravated by sitting, standing, sneezing, lifting objects and having a bowel movement.

Keen observation of the pain helps in diagnosing the exact cause of the back pain caused by the sciatica nerve. The pain can be very agonizing and relief from pain is very helpful in elevating the emotional health of the victim. Temporary relief from the pain helps the patient in moving his back and leg which helps immensely in treating the underlying cause of the pain.

Cayenne pepper is rich in capsaicin and inhibits the pain signals for immediate relief, is available as over the counter medicine. Eucalyptus oil massage is also very good for treating sciatica back pain, it also works as cayenne and has been used since a long time. Chamomile tea is recommended for muscle relaxation which works well for relaxing pinched nerves and relieving pain. A combination of mugwort, agrimony and vinegar is an excellent treatment for sciatica back pain. Devil’s claw is the most extensively used herb for lower back pain due to sciatica and it is beneficial in controlling even the most severe pain in the back and numbness in the legs. Herbal treatment is the best way of treating sciatica back pain as these herbs are free of side effects and can be used for long term without any negative side effects on overall health.

Along with herbal treatments, exercises and therapies like hydrotherapy, TENS, mobilization therapy and light exercises like walking jogging swimming and aerobics also help greatly in improving the condition to reduce frequency and intensity of sciatica back pain. Yoga poses like makar asana, hala asana, sun salutations and ardhmatsyendra asana have also been found very fruitful in alleviating back and leg pain caused due to irritated sciatica nerve. However exercises and therapies shall be chosen after expert medical advice as all the exercises and therapies are not suitable for every condition of sciatica back pain.