Sciatica and issues post-surgery: how to make a medical negligence claim 

Published - 09/08/2023

Sciatica is an incredibly common pain complaint that millions of people around the world have had at some point in their lives. The main symptom of this condition typically manifests as shooting pain down your leg from the base of your lower back. While some people may only experience mild symptoms, for others, this can be a chronic and debilitating condition to live with.

In some cases, the cause of sciatica symptoms is due to nerve damage or sciatic nerve injury that stems from medical negligence. In our latest guide, we cover everything you need to know about sciatica, the effects, how to know if you're the victim of medical negligence and how Wake Smith can assist you with your claim.

What is sciatica, and what are the main symptoms?

Sciatica is a nerve pain condition that travels along the sciatic nerve at the base of the back. This can cause severe shooting pains in the leg, base of the back and also buttocks. This commonly affects only one side of the body, and it is on this side you will consistently feel the usual shooting pains. Symptoms of sciatica, other than sharp pains, also include a struggle to have a full range of movement at the base of the back, numb feeling in the lower back and a 'pins and needles' feeling in both the legs and toes.

It is important not to confuse symptoms of sciatica for those of cauda equina syndrome. This is a highly rare and severe spinal condition that causes nerve compression in the lower back. With this condition, you also experience shooting pains similar to sciatica, however, cauda equina syndrome can cause lifelong nerve damage and is a highly serious condition.

People experience sciatica symptoms for many different reasons. These include suffering a herniated or slipped disc, degenerative disk disease, spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis. While these are conditions that cannot sometimes be prevented, there are occasions where sciatica can be the result of human error and medical negligence.

If you have recently had surgery and find yourself suffering from the previously mentioned sciatic symptoms, you may have been the victim of surgical negligence. It is important to seek legal advice from a professional medical negligence solicitor as soon as possible.

Can surgery cause sciatica?

Sadly, there are always risks when having surgery. However, medical negligence or malpractice makes these risks significantly higher. When performing surgery in certain areas, a few missteps can lead to significant nerve damage for a patient. This means that during post-recovery you may find severe symptoms of sciatica start to appear.

You may also find that after you have had surgery to relieve your sciatica, symptoms start to come back. While this specifically wouldn't be classed as medical negligence, it may well be if negligent means were used in the procedure. This type of medical negligence can have irreparable effects on a patient's life and health and should be taken extremely seriously.

What short and long-term effects can sciatica have?

There are numerous short-term and long-term health effects of sciatica which can range from mild to debilitating. Severe sciatica has the ability to impose on a person's whole life, affect their range of movement and affect their mental wellbeing also. If left untreated, sciatica can cause irreparable nerve damage and loss of motor control. This makes it especially important to treat fast and effectively. Treatment may include prescription medication from your GP, regular stretching or cold and hot therapy packs or sprays to apply when you feel the pain start to flare up.

If you believe that medical negligence has caused you to develop symptoms of sciatica, you should contact a qualified solicitor as soon as possible.

How can I identify that medical negligence has taken place?

There are many instances where medical negligence may have occurred when it comes to sciatica. For example, this could be a misdiagnosis from your GP, or where they fail to spot common symptoms which then go on to deteriorate. You may also have experienced negligence during surgery if errors were made or the effects of sciatica were missed or ignored during the procedure. All of these factors are valid reasons why you may want to look into a medical negligence claim, and at Wake Smith, we are here to help.

How can I make a claim of medical negligence for my sciatica?

When making any kind of medical negligence claim, there are certain things you should do in order to make the success of your claim more likely. This involves building a great case and we at Wake Smith can assist you with this.

How Wake Smith can help

Here at Wake Smith, we are committed and dedicated to helping you make your claim against a medically negligent party. We are a specialist team of medical negligence solicitors with decades of experience in all matters relating to medical malpractice. We have an incredibly successful track record with winning client claims, and you can contact us today to get expert legal advice.

Common queries

Is it normal to have sciatica after back surgery?

While there may be an element of pain in any recovery after back surgery, sciatica is not common and should not be present after your surgery. If you find that you have persistent symptoms of sciatica after a full recovery from your back surgery, it is possible you have been the victim of medical negligence.

Can you claim compensation for sciatica?

Yes, it is possible to claim compensation for sciatica as long as it can be proved that this was caused by medical negligence and nothing else. For example, malpractice, or negligence, can occur during surgery or through the failure of diagnosis from your GP.

Is sciatica a permanent injury?

Most people recover swiftly and easily from a bout of sciatica, but there will be occasions where people struggle with severe sciatica for a prolonged period of time. This is highly serious as it may cause nerve damage. It is always a good idea to look to medical professionals when suffering from severe sciatic pain.