Oh my! Sciatica is such a common problem for many people, and have certainly treated ALOT of sciatic issues as an OT.
Sciatica, strictly speaking, is an irritation, compression or issue with your sciatic nerve. Your sciatic nerve is actually the longest nerve in your body (fun fact!), running from your lower back all the way down to your sole of your foot. Unfortunately, a long nerve means it has lot of opportunity to become cranky somewhere along the way.
Sciatic pain usually involves pain down either one or both of the back legs and often accompanies lower back and hip pain. The pain can be quite intense and restrict your activities.
Certain groups of people are more prone to sciatica, such as pregnant women, people with lower back or hip issues or people whose daily activities are at high risk of compressing the nerve.
Treatment focuses on reducing the irritation and inflammation around the nerve and reducing the causative factors. It might be a twisted pelvis, a tight glute or piriformis muscle, a disc injury or a leg issue that is causing your sciatica – there’s quote a few different possible causes!
At your first appointment, we do a thorough assessment to find out what is causing YOUR sciatica and then treat accordingly. Treatment aims to relieve pain quickly, restore movement and prevent the sciatic issues from returning.
If you, or someone you know is experiencing the pain in the butt (literally) of sciatica, a Soft Tissue OT could just be the help they need.
Please get in touch if you’d like to chat about anything before booking in for an OT session, otherwise you can book online directly here.