Sciatica is a strange beast. Some medical experts say it's not really a diagnosis at all, only a collection of symptoms. The people that say this also say things like, "You don't have sciatica; you have ______________." And then they fill in the blank with terms like these:

• Herniated disc:  A  vertebral disc has squeezed partially out of its position between two vertebrae. Usually happens when the disc loses fluid, a common occurrence as we age. 
  
  As a result, the vertebrae themselves may tilt slightly, squeezing the sciatic nerve at its source in the lumbar region of your back.
  
  
• Lumbar radiculopathy: Source of pain originates in lumbar region of back. The most common symptom of lumbar radiculopathy is sciatica. The most common cause is a herniated disc.
  
  
• Pinched nerve: Something is pinching the nerve.
  
  
• Piriformis syndrome: For some reason, the powerful piriformis muscle in your buttock is clamping down tightly on the sciatic nerve. This is one of the conditions that causes pseudo-sciatica.
  
  
• Pseudo-sciatica: Some medical experts say that sciatica is always caused by a back or sacrum (center back of pelvis) problem. And if you have symptoms of sciatica that are not  caused by one of these, then you actually have pseudo-sciatica.
  
  
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction: The joint between the sacrum (center back of your pelvis) and iliac (hip bone) is either too tight or too loose. This is nearly impossible to diagnose and experts disagree over whether or not this condition exists.
  
  
• Slipped disc or bulging disc: Less formal ways of saying "herniated disc." 

Whatever you call it, only a medical practitioner can tell what's causing your symptoms. Maybe you've consulted with one, or more: medical doctors, orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc.....Or maybe you haven't. 

In either case, most sciatica treatment is "home treatment" or self-care. That is, what you do to help yourself when you're at home, at work, at play, or somewhere in between.

In 1995 I had a severe sciatica attack...after lots of personal experience and research, I came up with my own way of classifying the different aspects of sciatica home treatment: the DASIE Model. 

• Decompression: Sciatica symptoms occur when something squeezes or otherwise irritates your sciatic nerve. So the first step is decompression -- make it stop! Stop Sciatica Now contains  information and exercises designed to decompress your sciatic nerve.  
  
• Alignment: How you position your skeleton as you sit, stand, walk, and engage in other daily activities can either give your sciatic nerve time to heal or it can irritate it. Stop Sciatica Now explains how to align your body so you don't irritate your sciatic nerves. It also provides strategies for driving, standing at a counter, gardening, and so on.
• Strength: Strong abdominal muscles help support your pelvis and spine. Strong back muscles do the same. If you've suffered with sciatica for a long period of time, you may also need to strengthen the muscles on the sides of your torso and in your calves.
• Information: You can't make informed decisions without good information. What it is, its causes, types of treatment available (including surgery), and so on.
• Ergonomics:   Your immediate physical environment--what you sit on, the shoes you wear, and so on--should fit you.