Sciatica is nerve-root pain: a sharp, burning or electric pain radiating from the lower back or buttock down the back or side of the leg, often below the knee, sometimes with tingling, numbness or weakness. It happens when a lumbar nerve root is compressed or chemically irritated — most commonly by a herniated disc, sometimes by bony narrowing (stenosis) in older spines.
The honest, evidence-based headline: most sciatica gets better without surgery. The majority of cases improve substantially within 4–6 weeks to 3 months, and roughly three-quarters resolve with good conservative care. Landmark trials (Peul, New England Journal of Medicine 2007; the SPORT trial) found early surgery relieves leg pain faster in severe persistent cases — but by one year, surgical and conservative groups end up in much the same place. That makes the treatment decision about pain intensity, time and personal circumstances, not inevitability — and it makes high-quality conservative care, which is what ACTYMED delivers, the right first move for most people.
One safety rule stands above everything: new numbness in the saddle area, difficulty controlling bladder or bowels, or progressive leg weakness are signs of cauda equina syndrome — a surgical emergency. We screen for these at every visit, and so should you.
