What is sciatica? Adele health problems explored as singer opens up on painful condition

English songstress Adele opened up about suffering from sciatica during one of her recent performances.

While performing her New Year's Eve show at The Colosseum on December 31, the 34-year-old star revealed her painful condition to the audience while walking from one end of the stage to another.

"I've got two more (t-shirts), I've just got to get over to the other side of the stage."

Adele conversed with the concert crowd as she fired t-shirts towards them with the help of a handheld cannon. She continued:

"I have to waddle these days as I have really bad sciatica."

---

Sciatica leads to pain along the lower back, something Adele has spoken about in past interviews

As per the Mayo Clinic, sciatica occurs when the pain travels along the sciatic nerve. The nerve is spread from the lower back via the buttocks and hips and down each leg.

The website further describes the problem, stating:

"Sciatica most often occurs when a herniated disk or an overgrowth of bone puts pressure on part of the nerve. This causes inflammation, pain and often some numbness in the affected leg."

The pain in the sciatic nerve can be severe but treatable within a few weeks.

Sciatica is usually caused by a herniated disc in the spine or an overgrown bone forming on the spinal bones. Some rare cases are caused by a tumor pressing on the nerve or by diseases such as diabetes damaging the nerve.

This is not the first time Adele has revealed her health problems. While speaking with The Face magazine in November 2021, the Easy on Me singer revealed how her life changed after her dramatic weight loss, which helped her battle anxiety.

She stated that after losing weight, she is "definitely really happy now," since she is "more agile" because she can move around more. Adele then spoke about her long-standing back issues.

"I slipped my first disc when I was 15 from sneezing. I was in bed and I sneezed and my fifth one flew out. In January, I slipped my sixth one, my L6. And then when I had a C‑section, my core was useless. I've been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life, really. It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture."

However, her body has become stronger since her weight loss.

"But where I got my tummy strong, down at the bottom, which I never had before, my back don't play up as much. It means I can do more, I can run around with my kid a little bit more."

Branding her health as a "metaphor for surviving," Adele stated that she can handle "the weight of [her] world" a bit more because she has gone 10 pounds up on her weights.