by 
The Curious Bag
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If you experience shooting pain down one of your legs, then you may have pinched your sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is responsible for much of the sensation you have in your feet, legs, hips and thighs.
Identification
The sciatic nerve is the single largest nerve in the human body. It originates in the lower part of the spinal cord, and branches down each leg. It controls sensation and the nerve impulses that run from the hips down to the tips of the toes.
Features
When the sciatic nerve is pinched or constrained in any way that causes pain or discomfort then this is a condition known as sciatica.
Significance
According to the Mayo Clinic, the onset of sciatica is often the indication of a different condition. For example, arthritis can cause bone spurs in the spine that can press on the sciatic nerve and cause sciatica.
Potential
SpineUniverse.com lists some common sciatica symptoms as sharp and intense pain going down one leg, a tingling in the leg that can turn to numbness and a weakness in the leg that may lead to a loss of use.
Prevention/Solution
Some of the common treatments for sciatica are physical therapy, pain medication, rest or surgery to remove the source of the pressure in more severe cases.
Source:
SpineUniverse.com: Sciatic Nerve and Sciatica
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