The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, emanating from the nerve roots of the lumbar segment of the spinal cord and passing beneath the pear-shaped muscle of the buttocks, and is distributed on the back of the thighs, as well as on the calves and feet, directing muscle movement and conducting skin sensation. In normal people, there is one on the left and one on the right. Of the five lumbar vertebrae, the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae below are the most heavily burdened and have the greatest mobility, and are prone to degeneration and aging. Long-term strain or sudden sprain can cause the lumbar intervertebral disc to protrude to the side and back. After the lumbar disc protrudes, it compresses the sciatic nerve root, causing pathological changes such as congestion, edema and even adhesions. The pain on the herniated side of the lumbar area radiates through the buttocks to the back of the thighs, up to the calves and feet, and sometimes there is numbness, which is aggravated by coughing. This symptom is sciatica. It is just a symptom like a fever. Pathological changes such as lumbar disc herniation or lumbar spinal stenosis are the cause of sciatica, just as the cause of fever is a cold, pneumonia or meningitis, etc. Many medical manuals, advertisements or popular science readings compare sciatica as a disease with lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, acute lumbar sprain, chronic lumbar strain and so on. We orthopedic professionals believe that this is not only uncritical but also misleading to patients, so it is necessary to “correct its name”. Although there are many causes of sciatica, the most common one is lumbar disc herniation, and most of them are herniated discs between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae or between the 5th lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum. Thus, in the vast majority of cases, sciatica may be a lumbar disc herniation. In orthopedic clinics, we have found that in addition to lumbar disc herniation that can cause sciatica, there are many other diseases that can also cause this symptom. Some of the more common ones are lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolisthesis, pear-shaped muscle syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, and lumbar spinal canal tumor. However, sometimes, some hospitals and non-orthopedic physicians blindly treat patients with sciatica symptoms with a diagnosis of “sciatica” without investigating the deeper pathological causes, which is actually unscientific and irresponsible. Therefore, when a patient goes to the orthopedic department of a hospital, the orthopedic surgeon should personally make a detailed physical examination for the patient and supplement it with X-ray, CT, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), etc. to make a reasonable pathological diagnosis of the condition in order to achieve the right treatment and truly eliminate the patient’s pain. It should be noted that lumbar disc herniation does not necessarily manifest as sciatica. There are five lumbar vertebrae in the human body, and correspondingly, there are five pairs of lumbar nerve roots, part of the 4th lumbar nerve root, the 5th lumbar nerve root and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd sacral nerve roots form the sciatic nerve, while the 2nd and 3rd nerve roots and some fibers of the 4th lumbar nerve only participate in the femoral nerve distributed in front of the thigh, and do not participate in the composition of the sciatic nerve. symptoms of compression of the femoral nerve. This is usually manifested as weakness in lifting the leg and dull sensation of the skin in the anterior or medial thigh; there are also some patients with lumbar 5 to sacral 1 disc herniation who do not have sciatica. In some cases, the early onset of the disease or the whole course of the disease may only be manifested as lumbar pain, and in others, intermittent claudication, walking a few hundred meters, then feeling soreness and weakness in the lower limbs, and having to rest or bend and squat for a while in order to continue walking; in some cases, patients only feel coldness in the limbs; in some severe cases, paralysis, inability to move the lower limbs, and incontinence. Many patients with sciatica can clearly describe the onset of the disease as being related to a sudden lumbar “sprain”, such as occurring after lifting heavy objects, carrying heavy objects, prolonged bending activities or a fall. Therefore, when a sudden weight-bearing movement is required, the lumbar region should be moved in advance to avoid lumbar “sprains” as much as possible, and the incidence of the disease can often be reduced by strengthening the lumbar muscles and improving the humid living environment. Patients with this disease in the acute stage should promptly seek medical attention, bed rest, and closely with the Chinese medicine fresh. Ointment treatment. Treatment of the acute phase 1. should be treated for the cause. The acute phase of lumbar disc prolapse can often stabilize the symptoms by resting on a hard bed for 1-2 weeks. 2, symptomatic treatment, pain can be used topical drugs or paracetamol plus codeine 30mg, 3-4 times / d, and other non-steroidal analgesics, such as isobutyleneacetic acid, naproxen, etc.. For muscle spasm, Valium 5-10mg orally, 3 times/d; or Cyclobenzaprine 10mg orally, 3 times/d, may be effective. 3, severe cases available dexamethasone 10-15mg / d, intravenous drip, 7-10 days; general can be oral prednisone 10mg, 3-4 times a day, 10-14 times for a course of treatment. Also available 1%-2% procaine or plus prednisolone each 1ml paravertebral closure. It can be combined with acupuncture and physiotherapy, and conservative therapy can mostly relieve. In case of poor results, pelvic traction or epidural injection can be used, and surgery can be considered for individual ineffective or chronic recurrent cases.