SCIATICA

Sciatica is medically known as “lumbar radiculopathy.” The majority of people who develop this condition are between the ages of 30 and 50. Sciatica pain can be caused by a variety of sciatic nerve injuries, including arthritis, bone spurs, herniated discs, or other nerve injuries.

People with sciatica experience pain along the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body. The sciatic nerve begins at your lower back and then splits at the base of your spine to extend further down through your buttocks, legs, and finally ends at the bottom of each foot.

Sciatica can cause pain in your back, buttocks, hamstrings, legs, and feet, sometimes all at the same time. This is usually due to tightness in the hip and gluteal muscles. As a result, the sciatic nerve can become compressed as it passes through these tissues. When the sciatic nerve becomes compressed or irritated, you may experience a “shooting,” “stinging,” or “burning” sensation in your lower back, buttocks, legs, or feet.

How Can Physical Therapy Relieve My Sciatica?

The good news is that while sciatica is an unpleasant and painful condition, it can be effectively treated with physical therapy. Based on your diagnosis, our Agoura Hills, CA physical therapists will create a personalized treatment plan for you that will relieve your sciatica and help get you back to enjoying life again.

The goal of your physical therapy treatment plan for sciatica will be to provide immediate pain relief. Our physical therapists may perform manual therapy, recommend specific leg stretches to help loosen the sciatic nerve, and prescribe strengthening exercises as part of your sciatica treatment plan. This restores the nerve’s natural health quickly and helps to relieve your symptoms.