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What is Sciatica?

What is Sciatica?

Written by Alex Phan - Osteopath | 11th October 2024

Have you been experiencing lower back pain that sometimes radiates down into the legs? Is there sometimes an accompanying burning sensation and/or a feeling of weakness in the legs? Then you may have a condition known as sciatica and here’s everything you need to know.

What is it?

Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, which extends from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg. It typically occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated. It can be commonly caused by herniated discs, spinal stenosis or a bone spur on the spine.

Signs and symptoms

  • Pain that radiates from the lower back or buttocks down one leg
  • Numbness or tingling in the leg or foot
  • Muscle weakness in the affected leg
  • Pain that worsens with prolonged sitting, standing, or movement.

Treatment and management

The treatment and management for sciatica involves a combination of both patient education and medical therapies.

Patient education usually involves:

  • Application of heat or cold packs to decrease inflammation
  • Avoid aggravating movements and activities
  • Practising good posture
  • Gentle movement and stretching of the lumbar spine and hips
  • Use of proper lifting techniques

Medical therapies consists of:

  • Short course of oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories
  • Opiods and nonopiod analgesics
  • Localised corticosteroid injections
  • Spinal manipulations
  • Deep tissue massage
  • Surgical evaluation for structural abnormalities

Exercises to help with symptom relief

Cat-camels

  • Get onto your hands and knees and keep your arms straight
  • Start in the camel position by bringing your head to your chest, hunching your upper back and rounding your lower back
  • Transition to the cat position by looking all the way up to the roof, pulling your chest down and arching your lower back
  • The goal of the exercise is to create fluidity and mobility throughout the spine
  • Perform 3 sets of 12

Childs pose

  • Start by sitting on your knees
  • Lie flat down and stretch your arms out in front of you as far as possible
  • Hold this position for 30 seconds or so, perform 3 sets

Sciatic nerve floss

  • Sit over a ledge or bench where your legs are dangling and not touching the floor
  • Place both hands behind your back, bring your chin to your chest and create a hunch back
  • With the affected leg, extend the knee or straighten the leg and at the same time look all the way up to the roof
  • Then bring your chin to your chest and flex the knee or pull the heel backwards
  • Perform 5 sets of 3-4 reps

Most cases of sciatica will improve within 4 to 6 weeks with no long term complications. However, in more severe cases with neurological deficits, the recovery course is often longer and more complicated.

If you feel like you may have sciatica or something similar to sciatica, or even just lower back pain, then it may be a good idea to come in and visit one of the Osteopaths at Canterbury Health Hub. Here we can conduct a thorough assessment, provide tailored treatment and management for your condition.