In 2013, the year Francis was elected pope, he told reporters that the hardest thing he had to face since taking office "was an attack of sciatica – really! – that I had the first month, because I was sitting in an armchair to do interviews and it hurt," Catholic News Agency reported.
Sciatica is a kind of nerve pain caused by injury or harm to the sciatic nerve, which runs from the back down the side of the leg, to the foot, according to Cleveland Clinic. The pain radiates along that nerve. The sensation can range from a tingling numbness to severe pain that affects one's ability to walk.
Francis' sciatica was kept relatively under control for the next few years, until December 2020, when Francis announced he would have to miss New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations due to a flare-up, Reuters reported at the time.
To this day, Francis is occasionally seen struggling to walk, or using a cane or wheelchair. He receives regular physical therapy because of the condition.