Sciatica :
Sciatica refers to pain from the sciatic nerve due to irritation. It may caused by pain, paresthesia, numbness, muscle weakness, urinary incontinence, and fecal incontinence. It may caused by conditions like herniated disks, osteoarthritis, injuries, degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis, foraminal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, pregnancy, tumors, cysts, growths, conus medullas syndrome, and cauda equina syndrome. Risk factors may include injury to the spine, normal wear and tear, obesity, insufficient core strength, jobs that require heavy lifting, not using good posture when lifting, diabetes, lack of physical activity, and tobacco usage. Diagnosis is made by straight leg raise test, flexibility and strength checks, spine X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, nerve conduction velocity studies, electromyography, and myelogram. Applying ice, heat, NSAIDs, stretching, and activity may help ease the pain.