Do you have sciatica? If so, specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist Michael Otto can help you find a solution. He will help you return to sitting, walking and bending forwards without pain so you can live your life as normal.

What is Sciatica?

The word sciatica refers to symptoms of the sciatic nerve which is the big nerve that runs from your lower back, down the back of your leg and into your foot.

The individual small nerves that are grouped together to form the sciatic nerve come from the lower back. When the nerves become irritated they produce pain (neuropathic pain) along the sciatic nerve. This typically also produces tingling and pins-and-needles.

When the nerve is compressed as opposed to just being irritated there is loss of sensation where the sense of touch is reduced or absent. When this happens compression of the nerves can also produce a muscle weakness.

The sciatic nerve becomes irritated or compressed when a bulging or slipped disc in the lower back occurs. This typically happens before the age of 50. It also happens when you have arthritic changes in the joints, usually after the age of 50.

What does Sciatica feel like?

Sciatica feels like a burning, shooting electric-like pain. It is often accompanied by pins-and-needles, loss of sensation and muscle weakness. Sciatic pain generally is worse below the knee down.

Back pain without sciatica is generally felt as pain in the low back that can extend to the knee but not the knee down.

Physiotherapy for Sciatica

When physiotherapy is likely to be the solution Michael will work to help relieve symptoms using hands-on techniques to provide relief such as myofascial release, massage. Manual techniques such as traction, aim of bringing the disc bulge back in. Michael will be able to advise on which activities to avoid to stop the bulge getting any worse and to help the natural resolution.

Michael can work with you to address the underlying risk factors whether that be issues with muscle weakness or poor posture. Whatever the cause,  he will help to reduce the likelihood of the problem recurring and future flareups. When it comes to disc bulges in the lower back causing Sciatica there is often too much bending in the lower back. This is because either or both the rib cage and the pelvis restricted movement.

Michael Otto is an experienced specialist MSK physiotherapist who will help to rule out any serious underlying causes. You will be advised whether your Sciatic pain requires further MRI investigation and or surgical intervention.