Buttock Pain That is Worse When Sitting
Did you know that pain in the buttocks is a very common symptom of sciatica? Sciatic nerve pain can radiate anywhere from the low back, through the buttocks, and down the leg.
Remember, the sciatic nerve runs from the lower back down to the feet. When it becomes compressed or irritated, it can cause referred pain. Referred pain occurs when the brain misinterprets the signals from painful stimuli. This causes an individual to feel pain in an area that’s different from where the injury or condition is located. In this case, an individual may feel pain in the buttocks even though the source of pain is in the lower back.
In the case of sciatica, the signals from the lower back are sent to the brain through the same nerve pathways as those from the buttocks. As a result, the brain gets confused and interprets the signals as coming from the buttocks instead of the lower back. This type of confusion can also happen when multiple nerves share the same pathway to the brain. As a result, it can be difficult for the brain to pinpoint the exact source of the pain.
