Sciatica? Anyone have any experience with this?

[Exhausted777]

So 5 days ago I woke up with an achy, throbbing left leg.  The pain starts in my left hip, then down the outside of the upper leg, and migrates into my calf and foot.  I did the worst thing ever (consulted Dr. Google) & had myself worried about a myriad of conditions.

Today, the pain is back.  It is about a 7 on the 1-10 pain scale; difficult to ignore.  And it started the same way & is currently living in my calf.  Of course, that sends my hyperactive HA mind to DVT.

However, when I googled, it seems to fit the description of sciatica, with one exception.   I have no back pain at all.  In regard to lifestyle, I sit at a desk all day, then go home and sit some more before bed.

Please share any sciatica experiences or if anyone else has had these same symptoms!  I really feel nervous & in pain...   So tired of this cycle.

[JunoX]

My husband gets this pain your describing all of the time. He also has no back pain associated with it. Its caused by a pinched nerve. It can be quite painful but harmless.

[ninerfan36]

Sciatica = very possible. DVT = not at all likely. It this a 'shooting' pain (as in does it travel very fast down your leg)? If so, it's most likely due to a pinched nerve, like JunoX said. Sciatica can present with or without back pain, and the fact that you sit all day could very well explain it. Try doing some stretching for your glutes (this is where the sciatic nerve runs), or position a tennis ball under the affected butt cheek and roll on it slowly side-to-side. Other than that, you can try ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory) and heat until it gets better, which it will do on it's own. However, it's likely to come back. This is not a life threatening condition in anyway, and affects almost everyone at some point in their lives. I'm 25 and I have been getting sciatica for years (probably due to something called 'Piriformis Syndrome', but that has never been substantiated by MRI). Hope you feel better, but definitely don't go convincing yourself this is something terrible. Good luck

P.S. I'm a medical student, so take my medical advice as you will

[Exhausted777]

Thank you both so much for the input.  It really helped me get over myself.  :)