What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is a painful condition related to the Sciatic Nerve that travels from the lower back through the buttock, the back of the leg and all the way down to the foot. When part of this nerve gets pinched or compressed, it can cause pain down the leg that ranges from mild discomfort to excruciating pain.

What does Sciatica feel like?

Sciatica pain can come and go. You may feel:

  • Shooting pain that starts in the lower back or bottom and runs down the back of the leg, often as far as the foot and toes
  • Numbness or tingling
  • The pain can be worse when you cough and sneeze or after prolonged sitting
  • Usually, only one side of the body is affected

Sciatic pain is often the result of a bulging or slipped disc which puts pressure on the Sciatic Nerve. However, there are other potential causes such as an injury to the lower back area stenosis, osteoarthritis of the hip, sacroiliitis and a neuromuscular disorder called Piriformis syndrome.

If you are suffering from Sciatica, it is important to receive a skilled assessment and diagnosis from an experienced chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist. At The Health Hub, our skilled therapist team use a range of tools and tests to get to the root of the problem and suggest the best treatment options for you.

How to relieve Sciatica pain?

Sciatica can be a complex and painful condition, because of the number of potential causes which makes it very difficult to generalise advice on what to do without an assessment. As what might help one cause could make another worse, because of this we would always recommend an assessment to identify the cause as some don’t necessarily require medical treatment or intervention and may settle on their own. Others will simply get worse and the sooner something is done the better.

Why choose The Health Hub?

The Health Hub is a team of highly qualified and experienced therapists offering physiotherapy, chiropractic care, osteopathy, sports massage, massage therapy, Pilates and more. We offer the complete package to keep you fit and healthy. With a wealth of professional expertise and experience to put at your disposal, we believe in using the right tools and techniques to assess, diagnose and treat your individual health issue to achieve the best possible results.

If you are diagnosed with Sciatica the most important question to answer is what the underlying cause is. Once this has been identified our therapists will guide you on the best treatment pathway to help you recover and most importantly prevent it from coming back! We use a range of treatment techniques including, massage, acupuncture, rehabilitative exercises and self-management advice to help you understand and alleviate symptoms.

Our holistic combined approach to therapy packages has seen some incredible results for our patients, some of which you can read here.

Contact The Health Hub today for further information or to book an appointment.

The Health Hub offers holistic physical therapy options & individual treatment programmes for sciatica for effective pain relief & rehabilitation. Call for details.

Therapies

Testimonials

Read what our patients have to say.

I saw Kirk today regarding a very painful ankle. I found him to be very professional and has a very kind manner. I trust him to help me back to walking properly again soon.

Mandy Baker

Both myself and my son have been treated here, at the Health Hub. The staff are helpful and really friendly and the decor/ambience calming and professional. We have been treated by both Sam and Kirk – and both have been extremely helpful and knowledgeable, but also flexible and understanding. Kirk’s physio has helped me to make huge progress and reduce daily discomfort/increase flexibility. He has a lovely manner and goes out of his way to put you at ease and help you to progress. I would thoroughly recommend the Health Hub.

Nikki Dickinson

I’ve been recommending Sam for years as he has done so much for my mobility. The Health Hub is a very welcoming environment and I enjoy my chats with Maggie – seem to learn something every time! With Covid-19 they are very thorough with their cleansing and wearing of PPE, so patients should feel very safe.

Pat Squire

It is due to a number of practitioners, now at the Health Hub, that my recovery from a serious injury was the successful. I cannot praise Jodie and Tina enough for their knowledge, advice and support in 2018, which expedited my recovery giving me the opportunityto continue pursuing my sporting hobbies. I am so thankful they continue to deliver their skills from a new base, which houses the best professionals in the area. I have often joked with Sam that I need a sports top saying ‘This body has been rebuilt and regularly serviced by The Health Hub’.

Derek Middlehurst

Absolutely brilliant after having loads of treatment via the NHS that failed Sam sorted my shoulder out in very few visits. I would and do recommend this practise to all my friends.

Dawn Fennelly

I had a great sports/therapeutic massage with Tina Towler today. This was exceptional and I used Sam for back issues in the past. The Health Hub is exceptional in decor and organisation. It was a really good vibe it there today with loads on street parking available just outside. Great experience, thank you for today. Lovely place to go to.

Richard Soper

Sam is so knowledgeable, reassuring, professional and effective with his treatment & advice – highly recommend The Health Hub

Lucy Ewing

Thoroughly recommend this place, I’ve had two massages by Tanya. Will defs be coming back. Very good massages. Thank you for providing this service during lockdown.

Jennie Radford

Sam, Jodie and the team from the Health Hub are amazing. I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

Volker Ballueder

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the quickest way to relieve Sciatica pain?

Pain management can be achieved with powerful pain relief medication prescribed by your GP, and effective over-the-counter painkillers are also available. Be prepared that these may cause unpleasant side effects. Ice can also be very effective at helping to relieve the pain and make you more comfortable. There are also different treatment modalities that can be used to help alleviate your pain whether that be massage techniques or acupuncture.

Is it better to rest or exercise with Sciatica?

Sciatica sufferers often find periods of prolonged sitting the most uncomfortable so trying to avoid sitting for too long will certainly help. Again because of the different causes some people may find that staying active with daily physical activities bring relief from pain and tightness in the Sciatic Nerve, however it is essential not to overdo it as often this will make it worse later in the day. Taking periods of time to rest is also important often people will find lying on their side with a pillow between their knees the most comfortable thing to do. You should also be careful to avoid poor posture when sitting or walking, and not walking too fast.

What are the best exercises for Sciatic pain?

Whilst some exercises and stretches can be very effective for relieving Sciatic pain and helping the healing process, others can make it worse. We wouldn’t generally ever offer generic exercises for sciatica because of the number of possible causes, as again what helps one might aggravate another. Therefore it’s best to work with a physical therapist to decide on the best stretches for your individual needs and to learn the proper technique.

How can a chiropractor help with Sciatica?

Our chiropractor starts by completing a full case history and assessment where they are looking to identify both the “What” and the Why”. The “What” being the cause of the pain but perhaps the most important is the “Why” which is why the injury occurred. Sometime this is simple such as lifting something to heavy other times it could be restriction elsewhere in the body that has overloaded the injured structure. Once the cause has been established our Chiropractor has a variety of different treatment techniques that they can perform that help take the pressure off the Sciatic Nerve and relieve your pain. They will also give you very clear advice on everything you need to be doing between sessions to ensure you maintain your progress and keep improving.

How does a physiotherapist help with Sciatica?

Treatment includes manual techniques, acupuncture and gentle, progressive exercises aimed at reducing pain and restoring normal movement. Further into your recovery you will be given stretching exercises for the Sciatic Nerve, as well as exercises aimed at strengthening your lower back and core stability muscles. This is an important part of rehabilitation and can help prevent future recurrences.