If you’ve ever felt a sharp pain in your butt, hip, or down the back of your leg, chances are someone has told you, “That’s sciatica.”

Maybe it was a friend. Maybe it was your trainer. Maybe it was Dr Google at 2am while you were desperately trying to figure out why sitting feels awful.

Here’s the problem.

Sciatica is one of the most misused pain labels out there. And when you treat the wrong thing, you can waste weeks stretching, rolling, and resting… while your pain gets worse.

This post will help you quickly figure out what’s more likely going on, and what to do next.

Why “Sciatica” Is One of the Most Misused Pain Labels

Sciatica is not a diagnosis.

It is a symptom.

It simply means irritation of the sciatic nerve, which can cause pain that travels from the lower back or buttock down into the leg.

But in everyday life, people use “sciatica” to describe almost any pain in the glute, hip, or hamstring area.

That is why so many people end up stuck.

They spend weeks stretching their glutes because they think the muscle is tight, when the real issue is nerve irritation.

Or they treat it like a nerve issue when the real cause is muscular and mechanical.

At Get Better Physiotherapy and Pilates Centre, this is one of the most common problems we see. People come in after trying everything, and the issue is not that they are doing nothing. It is that they are doing the wrong thing.

The Key Difference: Nerve Pain vs Muscle Pain (In Plain English)

Here’s the simplest way to think about it.

Muscle pain usually feels like soreness, tightness, or a deep ache. It is often localised. It often improves when you warm up and move around.

Nerve pain usually feels sharp, electric, burning, or shooting. It can feel like a zap. It often travels. It can also come with tingling, numbness, or weakness.

A lot of people describe nerve pain as “it’s not a normal pain.” That description is usually spot on.

If you are unsure, pay attention to this.

Muscle pain tends to feel like it belongs to the area.

Nerve pain tends to feel like it is travelling through the area.

Where You Feel It Matters: Pain Patterns That Give It Away

Pain location matters more than most people realise.

Here are some patterns that can help.

If your pain is mainly in the buttock and stays there, it is more likely muscular.

If your pain goes from the buttock into the back of the thigh, it could be either.

If your pain travels below the knee, especially into the calf, ankle, or foot, sciatica becomes more likely.

If you feel pins and needles, tingling, or numbness in the leg or foot, sciatica becomes much more likely.

If you feel pain mostly when sitting, it could be nerve irritation, but it could also be piriformis irritation or a hip-related issue.

That is why the pattern matters, but the full picture matters even more.

The 3 Symptoms That Strongly Suggest True Sciatica

Here are three symptoms that strongly suggest true sciatica or nerve irritation.

1) Pain that travels below the knee

True sciatica commonly travels down the leg, and often below the knee. The further it travels, the more likely the nerve is involved.

2) Tingling, numbness, or pins and needles

Muscles do not cause tingling.

Nerves do.

If you have altered sensation in your leg or foot, that is a major clue.

3) Weakness or “giving way”

This is a big one.

If your foot feels weak, your leg feels unreliable, or you notice a change in strength, it may indicate nerve involvement.

If you ever have significant weakness, worsening numbness, or changes in bladder or bowel control, seek medical attention urgently.

When It’s Not Sciatica: The Tight Glute and Piriformis Trap

Now for the twist.

A huge number of people who think they have sciatica actually have something else.

The most common is the tight glute and piriformis trap.

The piriformis is a small muscle deep in the buttock. In some people, it sits close to the sciatic nerve. When it gets irritated, overloaded, or tight, it can create pain that feels very similar to sciatica.

This often happens when people have:

  • long hours sitting
  • poor hip strength
  • weak glutes
  • poor pelvic control
  • lots of gym work but not enough stability
  • a history of back stiffness

The frustrating part is this.

People feel buttock pain, assume sciatica, then stretch the area aggressively. That can make the piriformis even more irritated.

So they stretch more.

And the cycle continues.

Quick Self-Checks You Can Try at Home (Without Making It Worse)

Here are a few simple checks that can help guide you, without poking the bear.

These are not a perfect diagnosis, but they can give useful clues.

Check 1: The cough or sneeze test

If coughing or sneezing increases your leg pain, it can suggest nerve irritation.

Check 2: The sit-to-stand test

If sitting is painful, but standing up and walking eases symptoms, it may be muscular. If walking worsens it, nerve irritation becomes more likely.

Check 3: The ankle pump test

If you straighten your knee gently and point and flex your ankle, and you feel a pulling or zinging down the leg, that can suggest nerve sensitivity.

Do not force it. If it triggers sharp pain, stop.

Check 4: The glute squeeze test

If squeezing your glutes or doing a gentle bridge reproduces the pain in the buttock, it may be muscular.

If it causes sharp shooting pain down the leg, nerve involvement is more likely.

If you try these and feel unsure, that is normal. Many cases are mixed. That is why a proper assessment matters.

The Biggest Stretching Mistake That Can Make Sciatica Worse

This is the mistake we see constantly.

People stretch their hamstrings.

They feel pain down the back of the leg, assume the hamstring is tight, and stretch harder.

But if that pain is coming from nerve irritation, hamstring stretching can flare it badly.

Why?

Because the sciatic nerve runs through that area. When the nerve is irritated, stretching it aggressively can increase sensitivity.

This is why some people feel worse after doing “hamstring stretches” or “pigeon stretch” for sciatica.

It is not because stretching is bad.

It is because the wrong stretch at the wrong time can make nerve pain worse.

What Physios Test in Clinic (and Why It Finally Makes the Diagnosis Clear)

When you come into Get Better Physiotherapy and Pilates Centre, we do not guess.

We assess properly.

A real sciatica assessment includes:

  • detailed questioning about your symptoms and triggers
  • testing your reflexes and sensation
  • strength testing in key muscle groups
  • nerve tension testing
  • movement testing for your spine, hips, and pelvis
  • checking how your symptoms change with repeated movements
  • hands-on assessment of joints and soft tissue
  • identifying whether the pain is coming from the lower back, glutes, hip, or nerve

This is the part most people miss.

True sciatica can come from multiple sources, including disc irritation, joint irritation, nerve sensitivity, and muscular compression.

Once we identify the driver, we can give you the correct plan.

That usually includes hands-on physiotherapy for pain relief, and a step-by-step strengthening program so it stops coming back.

Ready to Stop Guessing and Actually Fix It?

If you’ve been told you have sciatica, but nothing you’re doing is helping, there’s a good chance the label is wrong.

Or the plan is wrong.

At Get Better Physiotherapy and Pilates Centre in Regents Park, we help people get clear answers, reduce pain quickly with hands-on physiotherapy, and rebuild strength with targeted rehab and Pilates.

To book an appointment, call 07 3800 3417 or book online.

You will leave with clarity, relief, and a written plan so you know exactly what to do next.