Scientists have discovered an additional risk factor for developing sciatic pain: your genes. Though researchers suspected that genes play a role in this often debilitating back problem, a 2012 study examined the impact of familial history on the risk of lumbar disc disease, which frequently causes sciatica.

A group of orthopedists from the University of Utah School of Medicine analyzed records from the Utah Population Database, which includes data dating back to early settlers. Using familial genealogy of 1, 264 ...