What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a pain down the back of your leg or legs, usually following the route of the Sciatic Nerve. Sciatica can come on quickly following a twist, fall or certain activity (Acute Sciatica). It can also be more longstanding and may have gradually worsened over time (Chronic Sciatica).

Your Sciatic Nerve starts in your lumbar spine (lower back), it travels past your glute muscles and descends your leg with your hamstring muscles before splitting into two nerve branches at your knee. The nerve can become irritated anywhere along this path. 

Sciatica can be quite scary when it initially comes on and you may be worried that you have done major damage to your back - rest assured that it is a very common injury which we see at RAPID and that our patients usually fully recover and return to their normal sports and activities.

The vast majority of Sciatica Pain does not involve serious spine or nerve damage, even though the symptoms / pain involves these nerves. The best thing to do is to book in with a Chartered Physiotherapist sooner rather than later and start on a rehabilitation program to address your Sciatica.

Symptoms of Sciatica 

The most common symptom of Sciatica which we see at RAPID is pain when bending over. This can make everyday activities difficult such as putting on shoes or socks and picking things up off the floor. Here are some of the other common symptoms which we see

• Pain bending over - putting on shoes / socks, picking up items from the floor.
• Pain sitting for long periods, especially on lower and harder seats - driving long distance, sitting at a desk, going on a flight.
• Pain when standing / leaning forward for long periods - cooking dinner, washing dishes, gardening.
• Pain when stretching / reaching - picking things up, yoga, gym work.
• Pain performing hamstring exercises in the gym - bridges, deadlifts, RDLs, hamstring curls.
• Pain doing fast motions - kicking, jumping, sprinting.

The pain may be on one side or on both sides. It may travel down the entire leg or just the back of the thigh. At RAPID we strive to find the Root Cause of your Sciatica and not just treat the symptoms.

How to Treat Sciatica? 

The first step to treating your Sciatica is to get it assessed by one of our expert Chartered Physiotherapists.

At RAPID we complete an extremely thorough assessment in order to get the most definite diagnosis possible and in order to provide you with the most complete plan to full recovery. Your individual treatment will be dependent on your injury and the results of our assessment.

Most Sciatica treatment will involve a progressive rehabilitation program with expert exercises to fix your pain and improve your everyday function and your sporting performance.

RAPID | Sciatica Physio Experts

We at RAPID are experts when it comes to dealing with pain and injury. With over 250 Five-Star Reviews you can be sure you are in good hands! 

Here are some of the other conditions which we regularly see and treat: 

• Back Pain
• Hip Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Knee Pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Sports Injuries
• Joint Replacements: Pre-op and Post-op
• Disc Herniation and Degeneration
• Muscle Tears, Ligament Sprains and Tendon Pain
• Sciatica Pain
• Rotator Cuff Pathology
• Plantar fasciitis
• Osteopenia Treatment
• Osteopenia Treatment