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Hello, I am experiencing severe lower back pain that shoots down my right thigh due to prolonged sitting (job requires it). Is it necessarily sciatica? Is there anything I can do to ease it at home?
Mar 11, 2013

Dr. Youssef Bassim Orthopedic Surgery
Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg. It is caused by injury to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. So it is very important to differentiate between back pain radiating to the thigh or to the leg. Low back pain might be limited to the back area and we call it mechanical back pain which is mostly due to back muscle spasm or could be neurological when associated with disc disease and it radiates to the lower extremities. Prolonged sitting will exert more stress on the back and may aggravate both types of back pain. Sports activities ( swimming in particular ) will help ease back pain, loosing weight and intermittent breaks for stretching exercises are needed during that long sitting time. It is also important to refer to a specialist in case the pain persists especially when it radiates to the lower extremities because it may be associated with disc herniation which in this case might need additional treatment and interventions.
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