What is sciatica?
In more severe cases of low back pain, sciatica (or radiculopathy) may occur. Sciatica is experienced when a spinal nerve root in the low back becomes irritated and inflamed; usually, as a result of mechanical compression from an injured disc, bone spur inflamed SI joint, or spinal stenosis. More serious causes of sciatica include fractures, tumors, and dislocations which require immediate medical workup.
What are the symptoms of sciatica?
The sensation of pain, numbness or paresthesia will usually radiate from your back, through your buttock, and down the back of the leg to your calf or foot. Some individuals only experience leg symptoms, without back pain, which makes the diagnosing the source of pain more difficult. The pain or numbness will follow the path of the irritated nerve and knowing its exact location will help your Doctor or Physical Therapist determine the level involved. In severe cases, the nerve compression may interrupt the motor function of a nerve and weakness may occur resulting in foot drop or leg instability. Motor weakness is very serious as prolonged compression can lead to permanent nerve injury and those experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical consult.
Symptoms of sciatica:
- Nerve pain, numbness, or paresthesias that usually travel down the back of the leg to the calf or foot
- Sciatic symptoms may or may not be associated with lower back pain
How can physical therapy help?
The first line of treatment for sciatica is often physical therapy as it has been shown to be both effective in alleviating pain as well as saving the individual and medical system money. Your physical therapist will help determine a directional preference for your condition as most spinal pain has certain activities that will both alleviate and irritate your sciatica. Often with spinal stenosis, walking produces the pain, while sitting alleviates it. Lumbar disc bulges or herniations are irritated with sitting, but often are better with walking. Identifying provocative motions will help you avoid further irritation of the inflamed spinal nerve and improve your chance of a quick recovery. For those that do not respond to Physical Therapy, anti-inflammatory medication or an epidural steroid injection may alleviate the pain related to sciatica. Very few individuals require surgery and while it cannot be avoided in every case, most individuals will recover with time.
Contact a clinic near you to find out how physical therapy may be able to help your sciatica pain.
Find a location that offers Sciatica near you
Our Clinics that Offer Treatment for Sciatica
-
Connecticut
- Avon
- Brookfield – Danbury
- Glastonbury
- Greenwich
- Guilford
- Marlborough
- Norwalk
- Shelton
- Southington
- Wallingford
- Waterbury
- West Hartford
Delaware
Illinois
- Bloomington – Normal
- Bourbonnais
- Champaign
- Clinton
- Decatur
- Decatur North
- Geneva
- Highland Park
- Hinsdale
- Lake Zurich
- Libertyville
- Lindenhurst
- Lisle
- Momence
- Northbrook
- Oswego
- Sugar Grove
- Washington
Indiana
Michigan
- Adrian
- Allendale
- Belleville
- Brighton
- Cedar Springs
- Comstock Park
- Coopersville
- Fenton
- Grand Haven
- Grand Rapids
- Grant
- Howell
- Hudsonville
- Ionia
- Kalamazoo
- Kalamazoo – Texas Corners
- Linden
- Lowell
- Milford
- Muskegon – Norton Shores
- Muskegon – Sherman Blvd
- Novi
- Okemos
- Ortonville
- Plymouth
- Portage
- Reed City
- Sparta
- Vicksburg
- Wayland
- White Lake
North Carolina
- Charlotte – Berewick
- Charlotte – Blakeney
- Charlotte – NoDa
- Charlotte – South Park
- Charlotte – Steele Creek
- Cornelius – Coming Soon!
- Gastonia
- Kings Mountain
- Shelby
New Jersey
- Barnegat
- Belleville
- Bloomfield
- Bordentown
- Brick
- Brick – Ramtown
- Brick – Silverton
- Bridgeton
- Cherry Hill
- Cherry Hill – 1873 Route 70
- Cherry Hill – 2005 Route 70 East
- Chester
- Cinnaminson
- Cinnaminson – Route 130 – Coming Soon!
- Cliffside Park
- Clifton
- Clifton at St. James Place
- Columbus
- Cranford
- Denville
- East Brunswick
- East Windsor
- Eatontown – Coming Soon!
- Edison
- Elmer
- Englewood
- Evesham – Marlton
- Fair Lawn
- Florham Park
- Forked River
- Forked River – Lacey Road
- Franklin Lakes
- Freehold
- Freehold – Howell
- Gillette
- Hackensack
- Hackettstown
- Haddonfield
- Hillsborough
- Hoboken – Downtown
- Hoboken – Midtown
- Howell – Coming Soon!
- Jackson
- Jackson – Specialty Service Center
- Jersey City
- Lake Hopatcong
- Lakewood
- Lumberton
- Malaga
- Manahawkin
- Manchester
- Marlboro – Morganville
- Matawan
- Medford at Hartford Road
- Medford at Jones Road
- Middletown
- Midland Park
- Monroe Township
- Montague
- Moorestown
- Mount Laurel
- Newton
- Pennington
- Princeton
- Princeton – Lawrenceville
- Randolph
- Raritan – Bridgewater
- River Vale
- Sewell
- Sewell – Egg Harbor Rd
- Somers Point
- Somerset
- Sparta Township
- Tinton Falls
- Toms River
- Toms River – Mule Rd
- Toms River – Specialty Service Center
- Union
- Vineland
- Voorhees
- Voorhees West
- Wall
- West Caldwell – Coming Soon!
- West Orange
- Westampton
- Westfield
- Whippany
- Whiting
- Willingboro
New York
- Albertson
- Baldwin
- Briarcliff Manor
- Brooklyn – Clinton Hill
- Brooklyn – Cobble Hill – Coming Soon!
- Brooklyn – Prospect Park West
- Brooklyn – South Slope
- Brooklyn – Williamsburg
- Harrison
- Hartsdale
- Hopewell Junction – Clove Branch
- Hopewell Junction – East Fishkill
- Island Park
- Jefferson Valley
- Kingston
- Long Island City
- Lynbrook
- Millbrook
- Mount Kisco – Coming Soon!
- Nanuet
- New Hyde Park
- New Rochelle
- Northport
- Plainview
- Port Washington
- Poughkeepsie
- Putnam Valley
- Rhinebeck
- Rhinebeck – North
- Syosset
- Wantagh
- Water Mill – Southampton
- West Harrison
- Yorktown Heights
Pennsylvania
- Abington
- Ardmore
- Ardmore – E Lancaster Ave
- Audubon
- Bala Cynwyd
- Bala Cynwyd – Monument Rd
- Bensalem
- Bensalem – 3331 Street Rd
- Berwyn
- Berwyn – Lancaster Ave
- Blue Bell
- Blue Bell – Rte 73 & Rte 202
- Chalfont
- Collegeville
- East Norriton
- Emmaus
- Exton – Lionville
- Feasterville
- Flourtown
- Glen Mills
- Glenside
- Harleysville
- Hatfield
- Havertown – Drexel Hill
- Horsham
- Horsham – 400 Horsham Rd
- Jenkintown
- Kennett Square
- King of Prussia
- Lafayette Hill
- Lancaster
- Langhorne
- Lansdale
- Levittown
- Malvern
- Media – Baltimore Pike
- Media – N Monroe Street
- Newtown
- Newtown – Bucks County
- Newtown Square
- Newtown Square – 3409 West Chester Pike
- North Wales – Montgomeryville
- Philadelphia – Aramingo Ave.
- Philadelphia – Art Museum
- Philadelphia – Business District
- Philadelphia – Center City
- Philadelphia – City Hall
- Philadelphia – Delaware Ave.
- Philadelphia – Fairmount
- Philadelphia – Frankford Ave.
- Philadelphia – Grant Ave.
- Philadelphia – Hunting Park Ave.
- Philadelphia – Krewstown/NE Philly
- Philadelphia – Manayunk
- Philadelphia – Northern Liberties
- Philadelphia – Old City
- Philadelphia – Passyunk
- Philadelphia – Rittenhouse Square
- Philadelphia – Roxborough
- Philadelphia – Society Hill
- Philadelphia – University City
- Philadelphia – University City at Ludlow St
- Philadelphia – Wadsworth Ave.
- Philadelphia – Washington Square
- Phoenixville
- Pottstown
- Pottstown – Coventry
- Quakertown
- Royersford
- Royersford – 10th Ave
- Souderton
- Southampton
- Springfield
- Upper Darby
- Villanova
- Warminster
- Wayne
- West Chester
- West Norriton
South Carolina
Virginia
- Arlington
- Charlottesville – Hollymead, Forest Lakes
- Charlottesville – Ivy
- Charlottesville – Pantops
- Chesapeake – Grassfield
- Chesapeake – Kingsborough
- Chesapeake – South Norfolk
- Chesapeake – Spine & Aquatic Center
- Chesapeake – Western Branch
- Chester
- Culpeper
- Falls Church
- Mechanicsville – Coming Soon!
- Midlothian
- Newport News – Denbigh
- Norfolk – Granby
- Orange
- Palmyra – Fluvanna/Lake Monticello
- Richmond – Near West End
- Ruckersville – Greene
- Suffolk
- Virginia Beach – General Booth
- Virginia Beach – Great Neck
- Virginia Beach – Haygood
- Virginia Beach – Kempsville
- Virginia Beach – Town Center
- Zion Crossroads – Spring Creek
Articles Related to Sciatica
-
5 Ways to Manage Chronic and Persistent Pain
What is sciatica? In more severe cases of low back pain, sciatica (or radiculopathy) may occur. Sciatica is experienced when a spinal nerve root in the low back becomes irritated and inflamed; usually, as a result of mechanical compression...
-
Physical Therapists Empower Patients - The McKenzie Method
What is sciatica? In more severe cases of low back pain, sciatica (or radiculopathy) may occur. Sciatica is experienced when a spinal nerve root in the low back becomes irritated and inflamed; usually, as a result of mechanical compression...
-
Unexpected Ways Physical Therapists Can Help Men
What is sciatica? In more severe cases of low back pain, sciatica (or radiculopathy) may occur. Sciatica is experienced when a spinal nerve root in the low back becomes irritated and inflamed; usually, as a result of mechanical compression...