What is the sciatic nerve?

There are so many nerves in your body that you may not know exactly what your sciatic nerve is. Our team at Advent Physical Therapy is here to help you find out. 

At Advent Physical Therapy, we’ve been helping patients in the greater Michigan area find high-quality physical therapy since 1996. One goal that we always build into all our therapy plans is that you understand as much as possible about your condition. We also want you to understand the therapies we may use to treat your condition. This is why our team wants to help you answer the question, “What is the sciatic nerve?”

What your sciatic nerve is and one condition it can cause

Our Advent Physical Therapy team is well acquainted with the sciatic nerve, but we know you may still be asking yourself what your sciatic nerve is. 

Well, first of all, we want you to know that you have two sciatic nerves. These nerves are actually the largest and longest nerves in your whole body. They begin in your lower back and run all the way down the backs of your legs. Your sciatic nerves even branch into your toes. 

Since your sciatic nerves are so long, we often see patients who are experiencing a problem with them. Two of the problems that our patients often have that are sciatic nerve related are sciatica and lower back pain. Both of these conditions can be the result of things like: 

• Poor exercising form
• Car accidents
• Sports injuries
• Work-related injuries

Our team knows that there are several symptoms that may be caused by a sciatic nerve issue. One symptom is that you have burning pain that radiates from your lower back and down your legs. We also see patients who experience pain in their buttocks or hip area. A third symptom you may notice is feelings of numbness in your legs or feet. 

If you have any of these symptoms, you may be dealing with sciatic nerve damage. Our team may be able to help you treat these symptoms. We may also be able to help you discover and treat the root cause of your sciatic nerve issues. 

Now that you know what your sciatic nerve is, you may be ready to get help for your sciatic nerve condition. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.