It’s probably our most commonly treated complaint.
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet, becomes irritated or compressed. If you have sciatica, you may feel pain, tingling, numbness, or general weakness in your bottom, in the back and side of your leg, and / or in your feet or toes. You might also have pain in your back, but it probably won’t be as acute as the discomfort in your bottom, legs, or feet. Back pain on its own is not usually a sign of sciatica.
In approximately 90% of cases, sciatica is caused by intervertebral disc damage. Although symptoms can worsen when moving, sneezing, or coughing, you should generally expect to feel better within four to six weeks. Recovery is based on a range of individual factors such as your existing physical health and activity levels and in the case of disc damage, there can be a longer road (averaging 18 months) to recovery.
How can Osteopathy help?
The key to improving your symptoms and recovering quickly is to stay as active as possible, by keeping your back moving. Within a treatment session, we will apply a range of hands-on techniques to assess your range of movement and provide advice on making improvements, as well as guiding you through some targeted exercises to stretch and strengthen your muscles, outside of your appointment. Our primary aim is to reduce pain and restore you to optimum physical health, in support of a speedy, long-term recovery.