Symptom Guide
Shooting Pain Down Your Leg?
When pain travels from your low back or buttock down one leg, it usually has a name, and a cause we can find. Here's what North Phoenix patients with this symptom need to know.
What you're feeling
It might start as a deep ache in one buttock. Then a hot, electric line of pain runs down the back of your thigh, sometimes past the knee, sometimes all the way to the foot. Sitting makes it angry. So does standing up after sitting, sneezing, or that first step out of bed. You may notice tingling or numbness along the same path, and you've probably caught yourself limping.
What it usually means
Pain that follows a line down one leg is the signature of sciatica: irritation of the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body. The irritation usually begins in the lower spine, where a bulging disc, a misaligned vertebra, or narrowed nerve passageways press on the nerve roots that form the sciatic nerve. The leg is where you feel it; the low back is almost always where the problem lives. That's why rubbing the leg, stretching the hamstring, or icing the thigh rarely changes anything for long.
When it's urgent
Certain symptoms alongside leg pain call for the emergency room, not an adjustment. Go to the ER immediately if you have:
- Loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the groin or saddle area
- Leg or foot weakness that is getting worse, or a foot that slaps or drags
- Leg pain with fever, or after a significant fall or accident
- A leg that is swollen, hot, or discolored
How SpinalWorks evaluates it
Dr. Steve Van Laecken DC starts with your story, then a thorough orthopedic and neurological exam: reflexes, strength, and the movement patterns that provoke your pain. When clinically necessary, weight-bearing digital X-rays show your lumbar spine under real load, standing, the way you actually live. The goal is precision: which level of the spine, which side, and what's pressing where.
What care looks like
Plans typically pair gentle, specific adjustments with non-surgical spinal decompression, which slowly and comfortably stretches the spine to reduce pressure on discs and nerve roots. Home exercises support what happens on the table. Results vary from person to person, and you'll know your full plan and exact pricing before care begins. Start with a $79 new patient visit or call (602) 298-1600. We're at 7th Street and Greenway, minutes from anywhere in North Phoenix.
Keep Reading
Where to go from here
Sciatica
The full clinical picture: causes, what to expect, and how care progresses.
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Schedule nowCommon Questions
Leg pain questions, answered
Is shooting leg pain always sciatica?
Not always, but it is the most common explanation. Hip joint problems, muscle trigger points, and circulation issues can mimic it, which is why we examine you carefully instead of assuming. Pain that follows a line from the low back or buttock down the leg points strongly toward the sciatic nerve.
Why does it only hurt on one side?
Because the pressure is usually one-sided. A disc bulge or misaligned joint tends to irritate the nerve root on a single side of the spine, so symptoms travel down that leg only. One-sided pain is typical of sciatica, not a reason to worry by itself.
Do I need surgery for sciatica?
Most people do not. Conservative care (specific adjustments, non-surgical spinal decompression, and targeted exercise) resolves many cases. If your exam or imaging suggests you need a surgical consult, we will tell you plainly and help you get one.
How long does sciatica take to improve?
It varies with the cause, how long you have had it, and how consistently you follow your plan. Some patients feel change within a few visits; longstanding cases take longer. We re-examine along the way, and we never guarantee a specific outcome.
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Full consultation, examination, X-rays if necessary, and your first adjustment: $79 for new patients. Serving Moon Valley and North Phoenix with care, integrity, and heart.