As sciatica is due to pressure on the sciatic nerve, it makes sense that the treatment involves removing this pressure. Our Physiotherapy treatment aims to achieve this by reducing nerve pressure caused by poorly moving spinal joints and easing muscular tension in the lower spine, buttock and leg.
1) Sciatica treatment in the early stages involves a strong focus on reducing your pain with manual therapy, dry needling, gentle nerve stretching, and spinal mobility work to reduce the sensitivity of the irritated nerve. This usually yields great relief and a significant reduction in symptoms in 1-4 visits.
Since the most common causes of sciatica involve pressure being placed on your nerves by something, physiotherapy for sciatica focus on reducing this pressure when cause by spinal joints as well as alleviate the muscle tension in the buttocks, legs and back associated with pain to help restore mobility.
How long does it take to fix? Sciatica can be a persistent injury. Once it is established it usually requires treatment to alleviate the pain and then prevent it from returning. We typically see improvements in sciatica within 1-2 sessions, and the average number of sessions needed is 5-6.
Most people with sciatica get better with conservative treatments such as physiotherapy. You should see your doctor again self-care measures fail to improve your pain, if your pain lasts longer than a week, is severe or becomes progressively worse.
Physiotherapists treat back and neck pain, sciatica, arthritis, swelling in joints, repetitive strain injury, sports injuries and cartilage, ligament and tendon damage.
Alternating heat and ice therapy can provide immediate relief of sciatic nerve pain. Ice can help reduce inflammation, while heat encourages blood flow to the painful area (which speeds healing). Heat and ice may also help ease painful muscle spasms that often accompany sciatica.
What exercises help reduce sciatic nerve pain? There are 4 sciatica exercises your spine specialist may recommend to help you reduce sciatic nerve pain caused by degenerative disc disease: pelvic tilt, knee to chest, lower trunk rotations, and all fours opposite arm and leg extensions.
The “walk it off” mentality may be popular in some sports disciplines, but patients that suffer from sciatica should avoid pushing through the pain. As a matter of fact, this may lead to more intense pain and additional symptoms, so living in pain is not a good alternative.
Sciatica physical therapy begins with an initial evaluation by a physical therapist, followed by an individualized rehabilitation program that may last for 4 to 12 weeks or more, depending on the severity of your condition and your dedication to your recovery.
Sciatica may come back
Sciatica usually resolves on its own without treatment within a month or two. However, that doesn't mean it's gone for good. If you don't resolve the underlying condition that caused sciatica, it may recur and even develop into a chronic pain condition.
For the majority of patients, acute sciatica pain resolves within 1 – 2 weeks. In some cases, behavioral modification or at-home remedies may be adequate for relieving sciatica pain. However, certain patients may develop chronic sciatica pain which may wax and wane but remains present over many years.
It can be worse when coughing or sneezing or sitting a long time. Usually, sciatica affects only one side of the body. Some people also have numbness, tingling or muscle weakness in the leg or foot. One part of the leg can be in pain, while another part can feel numb.
Simple Seated Stretch
Start by sitting in a chair and cross your sore leg over the knee of your other leg. While keeping your spine straight, bend your chest forward. If you don't feel pain, bend forward a little more. Hold this position for about 30 seconds.
While sciatica pain can be debilitating, chiropractic treatment can relieve it gently and naturally. This care entails treating the pain without costly and harmful side effects.
So, does walking help sciatica? Even though it seems incongruous—as in, it probably hurts to some degree—walking is actually good for sciatica. Dr. Shah points out that walking promotes blood flow throughout the body, and can even make the nerves more resilient.
Sciatica is where the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet, is irritated or compressed. It usually gets better in 4 to 6 weeks but can last longer.
The most common cause is a herniated disk in the lower spine. Another risk factor is spinal stenosis, a condition that causes the spinal column to narrow. Doctors do not know why some cases of sciatica become chronic. Many acute and chronic cases happen because of a herniated disk.
Symptoms of sciatica
Rarely, people with sciatica may also have more serious symptoms. If you're experiencing tingling or numbness in your legs that makes it hard to walk or move, you should make a doctor's appointment. If you're having difficulty controlling your bladder or bowels go to the emergency room right away.
The different types of sciatic nerve pain include acute, chronic, alternating, and bilateral.
To diagnose the cause of your sciatica, you may need to have some imaging tests. You may have an x-ray or a computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan. If it's possible you have a herniated disc or spinal stenosis that's causing your sciatica, your doctor may order a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test.