Sciatica
Also called: sciatic nerve pain, lumbar radiculopathy, trapped nerve in the back, leg pain from the back. Clinical name: Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy).
Sciatica is leg pain from an irritated or compressed nerve in your lower back. Most cases ease within a few weeks to a few months, and around 80–90% of people get better without surgery.
What it actually is
Sciatica isn’t really an injury in its own right — it’s a symptom. It’s the name for the pain, numbness or tingling you get when the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back through your buttock and down the back of each leg, is irritated or compressed at its root. Most often the culprit is a slipped (herniated) disc in the lower spine pressing on the nerve, though other things like a narrowing of the spinal canal can do it too.
The classic picture is pain that starts in the lower back or buttock and travels down one leg, sometimes as far as the foot. People describe it as sharp, burning, or electric — often more of a problem in the leg than the back itself. It can come with pins and needles, numbness, or a feeling of weakness in the leg. Because it follows the path of the nerve, sciatica usually affects one side, and things like sitting for a long time, bending or coughing can set it off.
The reassuring part is that most sciatica settles. As the nerve calms down the pain tends to retreat back up the leg towards the spine, and the great majority of people recover without needing surgery. The old instinct to rest in bed has been replaced by the opposite advice — keep gently moving within what the pain allows — which, along with time, is what gets most people through it.
How bad is it?
Sciatica isn't graded 1–2–3 like a muscle tear. It's a symptom — an irritated or compressed nerve root — and it's usually described by how it's behaving over time: acute (a recent flare of pain radiating down the leg, often after a bend, lift or twist, that most commonly settles as the nerve calms down), and persistent (pain that drags on for many weeks or months and usually needs a structured plan of movement and strengthening). Most acute episodes ease within a few weeks to a few months, and the large majority get better without surgery. The longer leg pain has been there, the more worth it is to have a clinician look at what's driving it.
How long will it take?
Recovery moves in phases. This is the typical shape of it — yours may run faster or slower, and the numbers below are general ranges, not a forecast for your specific injury.
When to get it looked at
Most cases settle with time and sensible loading. Get it assessed by a professional if any of these apply — they can point to something that needs hands-on care:
- Numbness around or under your genitals, your buttocks or your inner thighs (the saddle area) — this can be an emergency
- Weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe or getting worse
- Trouble starting to pee, being unable to pee, or losing control of when you pee
- Losing control of your bowels, or not noticing when you need to poo — call 999 or go to A&E for these bladder/bowel and saddle signs together (possible cauda equina syndrome)
- Pain following a serious accident, such as a car crash or a fall from height
- Sciatica on both sides at once, or leg pain alongside a fever, unexplained weight loss, or a history of cancer
This is a list of warning signs, not a diagnosis. If you are worried, or the pain is severe, see a GP, physiotherapist or urgent care.
What to track while you recover
Sciatica swings a lot day to day, and the single most useful trend — whether the pain is moving back up out of your leg towards your spine — is easy to lose track of in the moment. A short daily note turns those swings into a line you can actually see, and it's the pattern a physio asks about first.
- Where the pain is today: back only, buttock, thigh, below the knee, or into the foot (pain retreating up towards the back is usually a good sign)
- Worst pain score, 0–10, and whether it's more in your back or your leg
- Any numbness, pins and needles or weakness, and exactly where
- What made it worse (sitting, bending, coughing, a long drive) and what helped (walking, heat, lying down)
- Whether you did your movement or stretches that day, and how you slept
This is exactly what InjuryLog does.
Log each of these in seconds, watch the trend build day by day, and keep every scan and receipt tied to this one injury. Free to start.
What to tell your physio
The first physio appointment goes faster when you can answer their opening questions from a record instead of memory. Bring the pattern of where the pain has travelled, not just how today felt.
- How long it's been going on, and whether the leg pain is easing, static, or spreading further down
- Exactly how far the pain, numbness or tingling reaches down the leg, and whether that's changed
- Any weakness — a foot that drags, a leg that gives way, difficulty on stairs or tiptoes
- What reliably triggers it (bending, sitting, lifting, coughing) and what relieves it
- Whether you've had back or leg pain before, what helped last time, and any bladder or bowel changes (they will always ask)
Walk in with the whole picture.
InjuryLog turns your daily logs into a clean Physio Visit Pack, a one-page summary your physio can actually read, so the first appointment starts with facts, not guesswork.
The questions people actually ask
How long does sciatica last?
For most people it's a few weeks to a few months rather than years. The NHS notes sciatica usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months, though it can last longer. AAOS reports that around 80 to 90% of people improve over time without surgery, typically within several weeks when a slipped (herniated) disc is the cause. A minority have pain that drags on past three months, which is worth a clinician's review.
Will sciatica go away on its own?
Very often, yes. The large majority of episodes settle without surgery as the irritated nerve calms down, and OrthoInfo describes sciatica as usually healing itself given enough time. 'On its own' works best when you keep gently active rather than resting in bed, since staying mobile within your limits is what current guidance recommends. If it isn't easing after a few weeks, or it's getting worse, that's the point to see a clinician.
How do I know if my sciatica is getting better?
The most encouraging sign is the pain 'centralising' — retreating up out of your foot and lower leg back towards your buttock and spine, even if the back itself feels a bit more sore for a while. Being able to sit, stand or walk for longer before it flares is another good trend. Day to day it will still swing, so judge it over a week or two rather than by a single bad morning. Tracking where the pain reaches each day makes this trend much easier to see.
Why does sciatica come and go?
Because it's sensitive to load and position. It tends to spike with the things that irritate the nerve — prolonged sitting, bending, lifting, or even coughing and sneezing — and quieten when you move gently, change position, or lie down. That on-off pattern is normal and doesn't mean it isn't healing. Noticing what came just before each flare is the fastest way to spot your own triggers.
Why does sciatica get worse at night?
A few things stack up at night: you're lying still for hours so the nerve isn't getting the gentle movement that eases it, certain sleeping positions can put the irritated nerve on stretch, and with fewer distractions the pain simply feels louder. Many people find some relief by adjusting position — for example lying on the pain-free side with a pillow between the knees. If night pain is severe, unrelenting, or waking you every night, mention it to a clinician.
Should I stretch with sciatica?
Gentle movement and stretching are generally encouraged, and staying active is a core part of current advice rather than resting up. The key word is gentle: easy, pain-respecting movement that doesn't send sharp pain shooting further down the leg. If a particular stretch clearly worsens the leg symptoms or increases numbness, ease off it. A physio can tailor which specific movements suit what's driving your sciatica.
Should I ice sciatica, or use heat?
The NHS specifically suggests holding heat packs to the painful areas, and OrthoInfo lists both heat and cold as reasonable options — so heat is the more commonly recommended choice for sciatica, though some people prefer cold. There's no harm in trying each for short spells and using whichever genuinely helps you keep moving. Neither is a cure; they're comfort measures that make gentle activity easier while the nerve settles.
Does sciatica show up on an MRI?
An MRI can show a cause of sciatica — such as a disc pressing on a nerve root — but sciatica is usually diagnosed from your history and a physical exam, not routinely scanned. Imaging tends to be reserved for when symptoms are severe, aren't settling as expected, there are warning signs, or a clinician is weighing up an injection or surgery. Scans can also show disc changes in people with no pain at all, which is why they're interpreted alongside your symptoms rather than on their own.