Meaning & use
sciatic nerve
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemedicalbiology
The large nerve that starts in the lower back, passes through the buttock, and runs down the back of each leg.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a' or 'the' when referring to one of the two nerves.
Patterns
- the sciatic nerve
- pressure on the sciatic nerve
- irritation of the sciatic nerve
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body.
A herniated disc can press on the sciatic nerve, causing pain down the leg.
She felt a sharp pain along the path of the sciatic nerve.
Word forms
| plural | sciatic nerves |
|---|
Common combinations
- sciatic nerve pain
- Sciatic nerve pain often radiates from the lower back to the foot.
- sciatic nerve damage
- Sciatic nerve damage can lead to weakness in the leg.
- sciatic nerve entrapment
- Sciatic nerve entrapment may require surgery.
- along the sciatic nerve
- The doctor traced the pain along the sciatic nerve.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ischiadic nerve
- An older or technical term for the same nerve; rarely used in everyday speech.
Word family
- sciatica noun
- Pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve.
Commonly confused: sciatic nerve or sciatica?
sciatic nerve vs sciatica
Sciatica is the pain, not the nerve itself. You can have sciatica because your sciatic nerve is irritated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sciatic nerve' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The sciatic nerve is a nerve, so it runs down the leg. Option An is wrong because you don't 'have a sciatic nerve' as a cause of limping; the nerve is a normal body part. Option C is wrong because a nerve is not a medicine. Option D is wrong because it is not a bone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sciatic nerve”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.