Sharp pain that runs from your low back down one leg is not just a sore muscle. Here's what sciatica is, and why chasing the leg misses the point.
Sciatica is one of those words people use loosely for any leg pain, but it describes something specific: irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in your body, which runs from your lower spine through the buttock and down each leg. When it is pinched, the pain can travel a long way from its source.
What it feels like
Classic sciatica is a sharp, shooting, or burning pain that runs down one leg, often past the knee. It may come with numbness, tingling, or a pins-and-needles feeling in the leg or foot, and it frequently gets worse when you sit. Some people describe it as electric, others as a deep ache that will not let them get comfortable.
Why the leg is not the problem
Here is the key: the pain is in your leg, but the cause is almost always in your spine. A bulging disc, a misaligned vertebra, or tight muscles in the lower back and hip can press on the nerve root and send pain down the line. Treating only the leg, with rubs or stretches, never reaches the source. You have to address what is compressing the nerve.
How we approach it
We start by finding exactly where the nerve is being pinched, then use specific adjustments and decompression techniques to relieve that pressure and restore normal motion. As the irritation calms, the shooting pain typically follows. Sciatica can be stubborn, but it usually responds well once care targets the real culprit instead of the symptom.
