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 the general term for damage to or inflammation of nerves, which typically manifests as a pins and needles or burning type of pain. There are a number of possible causes of neuropathy, such as diabetic neuropathy, which results when high blood glucose levels over an extended period of time damage nerves.