Sciatica is the inflammation of the sciatic nerve, usually marked by pain and tenderness along the course of the nerve on through to the thigh and leg.

Sciatic pain usually starts in the buttocks and extends down the rear of the thigh and lower leg to the sole of the foot and along the outer side of the lower leg to the top of the foot. Pain may also be present in the lower back.

Several nerve roots leave the spinal cord and exit through holes in the sacrum to combine and form the sciatic nerve,...