http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=167&topcategory=Spine
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
If you suddenly start feeling pain in your lower back or hip that radiates down from your buttock to the back of one thigh and into your leg, your problem may be a protruding disk in your lower spinal column pressing on the roots to your sciatic nerve. Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy) may feel like a bad leg cramp that lasts for weeks before it goes away. See a doctor to have your condition diagnosed and start a course of treatment.