Identification

• The nervous system is divided into two parts, the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS is made up of the spinal cord and the brain, while the PNS is made up of the nervous tissue outside the brain and spinal cord.
  Individual neuron fibers are held together in bundles, like cables. When this bundle is part of the PNS, it is called a nerve. A collection of cell bodies along the nerve path is called a ganglion.
  
  

Features

• The sciatic nerve extends through the leg and lower back. It is also called the ischiatic nerve. This is because the Latin name for the sciatic nerve is nervus ischiadicus, and medical terminology tends to be in Latin or Greek.
  A body has two sciatic nerves, one for each side. It is also called the long nerve because of its extraordinary length. Animals have sciatic nerves as well as people.
  
  

The Facts

• The sciatic nerve begins at the pelvis and continues down through something called the greater sciatic foramen. It goes down through the butt and down through the back of the thigh, where it splits into two major parts, the common peronial and the tibial. The branching can start anywhere between the sacral plexus (at the base of the spine) and the lower thigh. Then it goes all the way down to the foot. It is the longest and widest nerve in the whole body.
  The two main branches have smaller branches called the muscular and the articular. The articular sends electrical impulses to the hip, and the muscular sends electrical impulses to the leg.
  
  

Risk Factors

• Sciatica is pain or tenderness in the hip and leg that goes from the back of the hip and down to the calf. The causes can include tumors, nerve compression, herniated disks, internal bleeding, injured muscles or irritation from a bone.
  X-rays and other tests like electromyograms, MRI scans and CAT scans are used to determine causes. One of the most common treatments for sciatica is bed rest. Medicine to relieve inflammation and pain and to relax muscles as well as physical therapy can alleviate sciatica. However, surgery may be required for sciatica caused by lower spine nerve compression.
  
  

Significance

• The sciatic nerve is a very important nerve. It is the general supplier of electricity for most of the buttocks and leg. A great many diseases can hurt the sciatic nerve and what it connects to. The most common of these diseases is sciatica, acute pain in the leg along the sciatic nerve. This happens if vertebral disk fluid presses on sciatic nerve fibers.