Many people experience pain that seems to shoot through their lower back at some point. Such pain may travel down the back of the legs and into both feet. And, although this pain may disappear, what happens if it comes back stronger or more intense than before? Pain that doesn’t seem to have an immediate cause can be difficult to cope with. Patients tend to be eager to understand why they are feeling a certain way and how they can overcome their symptoms. In such cases, we often meet with people who try to self-diagnose their condition before they visit with our Atlanta Orthopedic Doctors.
Diagnosing Pain
Although there are plenty of free online resources that offer tips and recommendations for how you can determine the source of your pain, only an experienced orthopedic doctor can tell you exactly what’s going on with your body. Consider the following information to understand whether or not your symptoms are related to sciatica and contact our office to schedule an examination.
Testing For Sciatica
Your Knees Feel Unstable
When the sciatic nerve gets pinched, it causes painful sensations that appear to shoot up and down the back of your legs. This irritation can affect your knees and cause significant weakness. Although the pain could be caused by a variety of factors, weakness in either knee is a strong indicator of sciatica.
You Do Not Run On A Regular Basis
Runners often experience some aches or pain in their knees because of the stress and pressure they expose their legs to. However, if you do not run on a regular basis and you still notice pulsating pain behind one or both legs, it’s likely that it may be sciatica.
Sciatica Prevention
Body mass, diet, and lifestyle habits like smoking or drinking alcohol play a role in whether or not you will develop sciatica. Maintaining a healthy diet that’s free of processed foods and limiting your tobacco/alcohol intake can go a long way in preventing sciatica. Other simple ways to avoid this condition include:
- Hiking
- Light running
- Swimming
- Low-impact weight lifting
- Stretching
- Cycling
- Yoga
