Lower back pain vs sciatica – how do we know the difference?

We know what it is like to have lower back pain and not knowing what is going on. We start asking questions such as “Is it sciatica?”

Could this be a disc bulge, a muscle spasm or something else?

You’re in pain and everyone has advice for you.

That’s great, except that it is conflicting and confusing.

No idea what to do?

Your brother told you to use heat and your friends said no, use ice instead.

Someone said do stretches, while your work mate is pulling you over a chair telling you to sit down and take it easy.

People can see you are in pain and start offering you random pain killer medications out of their purse.

You’re tempted.

No matter what happens, never take a random medication that someone has offered you, even from your grandparents!

Sciatica has its own unique set of signs and symptoms, but always includes referred or shooting pain down the back of the leg.

The pain may just be in the buttock and thigh, however may spread down beyond the knee and into the foot.

It may include numbness and tingling.

There is usually lower back pain, but not always.

And in addition, there are lots of causes of sciatica.

If you don’t have the leg pain, you don’t have sciatica.

Even if you have pain at the front of the leg, this is not sciatica either.

However that does not mean you don’t have some other cause of low back pain, hip pain, groin issue or pelvic complaint.

Common other injuries include a facet sprain (a joint in your lower back, this is a ligament injury, similar to spraining your ankle), a disc injury or a muscle spasm.

The length of time the injury takes to heal varies according to the specific problem you have sustained and how significant the injury is.

During the injury phase, you may continue to aggravate it, which can slow down the healing time.

In addition, even when you’re out of pain, if your back continues to be weak, you will be at risk of re-injury for a period of time after the event.

This is where knowing where you are on the path to recovery is helpful.

A health practitioner, such as an Osteopath can assess, diagnose and formulate a treatment plan with you.

This way you can get back to doing the activities you love in the shortest amount of time possible.

Then there may be a focus on injury prevention, this way you are less likely to experience the same problem over and over.

Taking random advice from loving and caring friends, family or strangers is never advised.

Even if it sounds just like what “Aunty Betty” had.

This is why you should see a professional.

If you are experiencing back pain, sciatica symptoms or muscle spasm, now is a good time to find out what is going on.

No amount of google search is going to give you a definitive answer.

Only seeing a qualified health professional is going to be able to definitely provide this for you.

If you would like to make an appointment or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.