Can Sciatica be in both legs?! PLEASE help

Each glute houses what is known as "the sciatic knot"...a bundle of nerves that link your spine to your legs.  Sciatic pain in your butt and legs can originate in your lower back and hips (spine misalignment, locked SI joints, etc.) or can originate in the spinal column itself.  I've had both.

Some are fixes that can be done by a chiropractor with treatment over a few weeks; the other requires the skills of a neurosurgeon.  Case in point...

After a number of bouts with sciatica that were quickly resolved by chiropractic manipulation, one time the pain would not go away.  Pain shots, PT, chiro...nothing worked.  Got an MRI done that showed "something" at L4/L5 but was inconclusive.  Neurosurgeon went in and found a bone spur literally "crushing" (his word) my sciatic nerve root at L4/L5.  Simple laminectomy... shaved off the spur...cut back the calcified disk a bit...all to give the nerve a newly freed path without any impingement.  Same day surgery, instant pain relief, no rehab required. 

Sometimes getting cut is the only way to fix the problem.  If chiro doesn't help, see a neuroSURGEON (not a neurologist), do the imaging and get it fixed.

Oops...missed a point.  A major cause of sciatica (back, hips, glutes and down the back of BOTH legs) is frequently caused by foraminal stenosis...the narrowing of the foramina (small canals between vertebrae that allow the nerve root to exit the spinal column).  When those smaller holes impinge on the nerve roots bilaterally, then stenosis is the diagnosis...sends pain down both legs.  Then you walk hunched over to ease the pain and engage your quads to fire 24 x 7.  The pain in the front of your legs is caused by the overworking (fatigue) of the quadriceps so you have pain in the front AND back of both legs.

The solution is surgery, with the first problem being locating the vertebrae involved.  I'm having stenosis surgery on March 24, 2017 for just this problem on L2/L3.  Started in October...been dealing with the pain for over 5 months now.  Instead of fusion, they now have an EXPANDABLE spacer that they slide into the intervertebral space and then crank it open with an Allen wrench...kind of like an expandable jack to lift your car up.  It opens the space between the vertebrae and takes the pressure off the nerves.  Overnight stay, immediate pain relief, zero rehab.  Works in 80% of patients.

i have had this problem for years. Yes it can go to both legs mainly to the upper leg like your sitting on a bar or something hard.

Do you get foot or leg spasms this yet another signe. Walking now could stop I was ok but it diteriated fast. Standing with knees bent to walking in a C curve. My Consultant informed me if I had my operation done sooner I would have had a much better outcome. 

I have had this since 1990 first opp in 1998 second within 12 weeks three spinal blocks and now undergoing a series of nerve blocks.

Dont delay your young the surgery is not that bad. Risk very low. If I could go back I have had the op in 1995. 

Hope this helps also try Pilates to keep your back as strong as you can.