Sciatica symptoms can include: Pain. Sciatica pain happens because of pressure on the affected nerve(s). Most people describe sciatica pain as burning or like an electric shock. This pain also often shoots or radiates down the leg on the affected side. Pain commonly happens with coughing, sneezing, bending or lifting your legs upward when lying on your back. Tingling or “pins and needles” (paresthesia). This is similar to the feeling you have when a leg falls asleep because you sat cross-legged. Numbness. This is when you can’t feel sensations on the skin in the affected areas of your back or leg. It happens because signals from your back or leg are having trouble reaching your brain. Muscle weakness. This is a more severe symptom. It means that muscle command signals are having trouble reaching their destinations in your back or legs. Urinary incontinence or fecal incontinence. This is a very severe symptom. It means signals that control your bladder and bowels aren’t reaching their destinations.