Suffering from sciatica?
Did you realise that only 2 – 4 % of people suffering from sciatica ever need surgery? Most cases of sciatica are resolved through other methods such as advice, exercise and manual therapy.
Sciatica is a very common condition that can affect people of all ages and is a common reason to seek osteopathic treatment. Sciatica is entrapment or irritation of the sciatic nerve leading to changes in how the nerve functions; this might mean pain, weakness or numbness down one or both legs as far as the feet. Sciatic pain can present itself in a wide variety of ways therefore an accurate diagnosis is crucial before starting any treatment.
What Causes Sciatica?
If there is any pressure around the sciatic nerve, or there is inflammation from tissue damage (muscle, ligament, joint dysfunction or disc injury) it can affect how the nerve performs, commonly resulting in pain, numbness or weakness in the areas the nerve is associated with. The pain may come on suddenly or slowly over time. The pattern and location of the symptoms is usually a clue to what is causing the problem, there are many possible reasons a person may experience sciatica, these include;
- Injuries to the intervertebral discs of the spine,
- Dysfunction of the facet joints in the spine
- Entrapment of the nerve by the piriformis muscle in the pelvis
HOW CAN SEEING AN OSTEOPATH HELP?
Firstly, seeing a registered osteopath, means you will get a full professional diagnosis of the problem. This is important, as self diagnosis or guessing at what the problem is might prolong your discomfort. osteopaths have expertise in diagnosing the reasons for sciatica and recommend the best course of action for you.
Once we have diagnosed the issues, we can help you in a number of ways depending on what the problem is. Everything from massage, joint articulation and manipulation, to carefully prescribed exercises to help alleviate the pain. Our osteopaths have the knowledge and experience of using the latest, best practice techniques when applying treatment fro sciatica. We follow the NICE recommended options of exercise prescription, massage, joint mobilization. Our clinicians can also refer you on for imaging such as an MRI to help with the diagnosis, advise you to seek advice from your doctor for pain relieving medication, or recommend other support such as psychological and emotional support such if thought necessary.
We will even give you advice on how to stop the problem reoccurring. We commonly successfully treat people with sciatic pain, helping them get back to being pain free and moving well.
Do you want to know what is causing your pain and if we can help? Why not take advantage of our new patient assessment introductory offer to get you started towards a tailor made recovery plan for only £19.
Are you in a lot of pain and want to get better as soon as possible? If so then why not book in for a new patient consultation, with treatment on the day, for £72.
We are also there to help you from home. Take a look at our suite of exercise resources and advice sheets which you can easily download and use from home.
Sources for this text
why choose align body clinic?
At Align our focus in on providing expert, up to date care to patients in Bath and the surrounding areas to help them relieve their pain and achieve the most active life possible. Here are just a few of the ways we do this;
- We support your recovery, tailoring your treatment to your goals and a pace that works for you
- We combine exercise and hands on treatment giving you control over your recovery
- Our team of friendly, experienced osteopaths are available when you need us
- Our treatment is clinically based, practical and delivers tangible results
- We offer a low cost new patient assessment for just £19 so you can see for yourself who we are and how we work, with no obligation or risk
- We are continually researching new methods of treatment and where appropriate adapting our practices
- We can provide treatment quickly and offer an easy online booking system so you can arrange the help you need when it suits you
Still unsure? Don’t take our word for it, read some of the feedback from patients about how we have made a difference to their lives below.
HOW WE CAN HELP
View the list of treatments we provide from our Bath clinic
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Need More Information?
Read our other articles and advice about sciatica
OUR OTHER GUIDES
Help and advice for other common symptoms.