How to Diagnose Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom common to certain conditions. If you are experiencing sciatic pain it is because something is causing irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. To correct the pain of sciatica, your physician must discover the originating cause.

Instructions

1. Give your physician your complete medical history in order to obtain a proper and possibly faster diagnosis. Before seeing your doctor, write down any injuries you have had, as well as any problems with pain, tingling or numbness.

2. Complete a physical exam. Your physician might position you in certain ways and manipulate your extremities to stretch the sciatic nerve. Depending on the position, you may experience a shooting or numbing pain down your leg sometimes clear to the foot. These manipulations help the doctor pinpoint pain and detect if there is a disk problem.

3. Let your doctor chart your movement while walking, sitting, standing, as well as bending forward, backwards, and twisting from side to side. This way your doctor can determine the source of the pain. She may also measure your calves to see if there is a different in muscle size. Nerve tests are done by tapping the knees and ankles and touching different parts of the body with a feather.

4. Undergo further tests. Your doctor might use diagnostic tools such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or and electrical stimulation test (electromyogram) to determine whether the sciatic pain is being caused by vertebrae, the nerve itself or a disk.