Pain management health centre. Sciatica (sciatic nerve pain) - Symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment. Sciatica is a common type of pain caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, going from the pelvis, through the buttocks, down the legs to the feet.
According to the Neuropathy Association, some 20 million Americans suffer from various forms of neuropathy, a potentially serious condition caused in part by blockage of small blood vessels within the nerves in the legs, with diabetes as the most common cause.
Neuropathy is a group of conditions that affect the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord (the peripheral nerves). Mononeuropathy describes a condition in which only a single nerve or nerve group is damaged. This condition negatively affects the part of the body associated with that nerve or nerve group, causing a loss of sensation, movement, or function in that part of the body.