Are you experiencing low back pain or discomfort down the back of your legs? Are you getting pins and needles, tingling or numbness in your legs or buttock? Although there are various reasons for these symptoms, it may be indicative of “sciatica”.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica affects about 1 to 5% of the UK population at some point in their lives. It presents as pain and related symptoms in areas served by the sciatic nerve, commonly in the buttocks, back, and sides of the thigh and leg. Unlike lower back pain, it usually does not cause discomfort in the lower back. Symptoms of sciatic pain often worsen with movement, sneezing, or coughing.

Sciatica is not a standalone diagnosis; it refers to a set of symptoms. Conditions that can lead to sciatic nerve pain include a disc bulge in the spine or bony growth which is putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.

The symptoms of sciatica are similar to those of piriformis syndrome. Piriformis syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle becomes irritated or inflamed, often due to injury or prolonged periods of sitting. This may put pressure on the sciatic nerve which runs behind the muscle.

Sciatic nerve pain relief: who to see?

If you are looking for sciatica pain relief, manual therapy and targeted exercises can help with your symptoms. Understanding the underlying cause of your sciatica is crucial. For this reason it is advisable to consult a skilled musculoskeletal specialist, such as a physiotherapist or osteopath near you. The specialist will go through a full case history of your symptoms, previous history and ask questions on your lifestyle. They will then conduct a full assessment to gain a better understanding of your symptoms. From there they will be able to advise you on your symptoms and on whether it is due to sciatica. Your osteopath or physiotherapist may use a variety of treatment modalities such as hands-on treatment, acupuncture, or tailored exercises. Using a holistic individualised approach to treatment, such as osteopathy, can help alleviate current discomfort and minimise the risk of reoccurrences.

Sciatica exercises:

Whether it is an intense or mild episode of sciatica or you are looking to prevent future episodes it is crucial to keep moving.

For an intense episode sciatica, we want to focus on gentle mobility exercises to do first thing in the morning, before you get out of your bed, and throughout the day. In the video below, you can find three exercises which may help: Lumbar rotation supine, leg hugs and pelvic tilts.

For milder episodes of sciatica and to prevent future episodes it is important to stay active and make sure your body is able to handle its daily demands. If you have a very physical job, that means making sure you gave enough strength and flexibility through your lower back as well as the surrounding joints such as the hips and knee to cope with your jobs physical demands. For others, that may involve working on your body’s strength, balance and flexibility to be able to play with children, garden or perform other various activities. Maintaining an active lifestyle can help with how often an episode of sciatica reoccurs and its intensity.

By strengthening the hips, lower back and core muscles and improve overall mobility in the hips, lower back and upper back it can help reduce the load put through the lower back and protect it from future injuries.

Conclusion

Whether this is your first episode of sciatica or your struggle with reoccurring episodes it is crucial to seek advise from a musculoskeletal specialist, such as an osteopath. They will be able to give you targeted advise on how to reduce the discomfort and avoid reoccurrence. In any case, keeping active and moving can reduce the discomfort associated with sciatica.

If you start experiencing numbness around your genitals, problems urinating or inability to control your bladder or bowels with sciatica, please go to A&E for urgent help, as this can indicate more serious underlying problem such as cauda equina syndrome.

We hope this information is useful for you. If you need advice or have any questions about osteopathy, please contact us. You can find us just a few minutes walk from Clapham Common station. We are always happy to help. If you like this blog, please share!