Simply put, Sciatica is an umbrella term or syndrome meaning irritation of the Sciatic Nerve. This irritation can be both chemical (e.g. inflammation) or mechanical (e.g. pressure from an adjacent structure) or both. Sciatica is characterised by pain radiating from the lower back into the buttocks and/or down into the legs and sometimes feet – pain can literally be experienced anywhere along the course of the sciatic nerve. In its’ acute form it is most commonly caused by prolapse or herniation of an intervertebral disc.
Your OFP Physiotherapist will be able to diagnose what structures and factors are the main drivers of your sciatic pain and give you the latest evidence-based treatments to get you back to sport, work and life! BOOK AN APPOINTMENT NOW to experience safe, effective “…healthcare that cares”!
Sciatica may be caused by compression and/or irritation of one of the Lumbar spinal nerve roots that combine and become the sciatic nerve or by compression or irritation at a site down the Limb. In addition to pain, which is sometimes severe, there may be numbness, muscular weakness, pins and needles or tingling and difficulty in moving or controlling the leg.
