A sciatica tracker for back and leg symptoms
Sciatica-type symptoms often start in the lower back or hip and travel down one leg, sometimes with numbness, tingling or weakness. They can change from day to day, which makes them hard to describe at an appointment. BodyPing's Pain & Symptom Log lets you record where it is, which side, whether it spreads and what you were doing, in about 2 minutes a day.
- Lower back down to the toes — leg and foot areas have left and right sides
- Pain that travels — note whether it spreads and describe where to, such as “down the back of my left leg”
- Numbness, tingling and weakness — each rated 0–10, alongside a 0–10 pain score
Some symptoms need urgent care, not a diary entry
Get urgent medical help straight away if you have:
- loss of bladder or bowel control, or trouble passing urine
- numbness around your genitals, buttocks or inner thighs (the “saddle” area)
- weakness in your leg or legs that is getting worse
- sciatica-type symptoms in both legs
Call 112 or 999 in Ireland and the UK, or your local emergency number. BodyPing is a record-keeping tool and cannot assess symptoms.
What the Pain & Symptom Log tracks — for sciatica
There is no separate sciatica form. These are the real fields in BodyPing's Pain & Symptom Log that fit sciatica-type symptoms — nothing is overclaimed.
Back to foot, left or right
Lower back, hip, thigh, knee, shin, calf, ankle, heel, foot and each toe. The leg and foot areas have left and right sides. There is no separate buttock area — use hip or lower back and add a note.
Does it spread?
Answer yes or no for each set of areas, and describe where the pain goes. The dashboard shows how often your pain spreads.
Numbness, tingling & weakness
Rate each 0–10, along with stiffness, fatigue and coordination, so changes in nerve-type symptoms are on the record.
Pain score & type
A 0–10 pain score and 9 pain types, including burning, electric, sharp, aching and pins & needles.
Timing & activity
At rest, during movement, during or after activity, morning, evening, or comes and goes. For activity, type what you were doing — sitting, driving, lifting — and how long it lasted.
Symptom groups
Back aches but your foot tingles? Put them in separate groups and answer once per group. Areas that feel the same share one set of answers.
Triggers
Choose from 13 trigger options, such as lifting, exercise, sleeping position, stress and cold, or pick Other and describe it. See pain on days with and without each trigger.
Relief & medication
Pick what you tried from 10 relief options, rate how well it worked 0–10, and note whether you took medication (yes, no or not sure).
Doctor report & share link
Print a formatted report, save it as a PDF, or share a view-only link with an optional PIN that expires after 7, 14 or 30 days.
A record you can bring to your appointment
After 3 days logged, the dashboard starts showing simple statistics from your own entries: average pain on days with and without each trigger, pain by sleep quality, time of day and weekday, how often pain spreads, and how your other symptoms change. These are summaries of what you recorded, not a diagnosis. They give you and your doctor or physiotherapist something concrete to talk about — for example, whether the leg symptoms are more frequent than last month, or whether weakness scores are changing.
Common questions about tracking sciatica
Can I track sciatica with BodyPing?
Yes. BodyPing's Pain & Symptom Log is a general pain and symptom diary, and it works well for sciatica-type symptoms. You choose the areas that hurt, from the lower back down to the toes, give each a 0–10 pain score, note whether the pain spreads, and rate numbness, tingling and weakness 0–10. BodyPing does not diagnose sciatica; it records what you notice so you and your doctor can look at it together.
Can I record which leg is affected?
Yes. The hip, thigh, knee, shin, calf, ankle, heel, foot and toe areas each have a left and a right side, so you can log the left leg, the right leg or both. The lower back is one area. There is no separate buttock area: choose the hip or lower back and add a note if you want to be more exact.
How do I record pain that travels down my leg?
Select every area where you feel it, then answer “Does it spread anywhere?” with yes and describe where it goes, for example “from the lower back down the back of the left leg to the foot”. The dashboard shows how often your pain spreads, and the description is kept with each entry in your report.
Can I log numbness, tingling and weakness?
Yes. Numbness, tingling and weakness can each be rated 0–10, alongside stiffness, fatigue and coordination. If your back aches but your foot tingles, put those areas in separate symptom groups so each set gets its own answers.
How do I record that sitting or driving makes it worse?
In the timing question, choose when the pain or symptoms happen: at rest, during movement, during activity, after activity, morning, evening, or comes and goes. If you choose during or after activity, you can type what you were doing, such as sitting at a desk or driving. You can also pick a trigger, or choose Other and describe it.
When should I get urgent medical help instead of logging?
Get urgent medical help straight away, and do not wait to log it, if you have loss of bladder or bowel control or trouble passing urine, numbness around your genitals, buttocks or inner thighs, leg weakness that is getting worse, or sciatica-type symptoms in both legs. Call 112 or 999 in Ireland and the UK, or your local emergency number.
Is BodyPing a medical device?
No. BodyPing is a personal record-keeping tool. It calculates simple summaries from your own entries, but it does not diagnose, predict or recommend treatment.
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