How You Can Manage the Pain When Living With Sciatica

Your sciatic nerve is your body’s longest nerve. It begins in the lower back. From there, it splits and runs down through the hips and legs on both sides of the body. Sciatica is a painful condition caused by inflammation or injury to your sciatic nerve. Sciatica can cause pain to extend from the lower back down through the leg. Many people describe the discomfort as a shooting pain that may go down the back, front, or outside of the leg. It’s possible to feel sciatica pain in both legs, though most people feel it in just one leg at a time.

In addition to shooting pain, some people also experience tingling sensations in the lower back and leg. Others may experience a sensation of numbness in parts of their leg. Sciatica can be debilitating and make it difficult to enjoy life or participate in everyday activities. Fortunately, many people find relief from their symptoms through physical therapy.   

Common Physical Therapy Treatments

You can search online for “physical therapy near me” if you’re experiencing sciatica discomfort. Once you locate a good physical therapist and schedule an appointment, you may be wondering what to expect from your treatment. Different physical therapists may use different techniques to address your symptoms. But some of the more common physical therapy treatments you may encounter during your appointment include strengthening and stretching exercises, nerve and joint mobilization, gait training, and myofascial release. Here’s a brief overview of each of these techniques.

Strengthening and Stretching Exercises

When you receive physical therapy Raleigh NC services for your sciatic, you can expect to be put through certain exercises and stretches. These exercises target the muscles of the lower back, abdomen, legs, and hips. When the muscles in these areas are strong and flexible, your risk of injuries and inflammatory conditions (such as sciatica) decreases.

The exercises your physical therapist guides you through may be isometric (involving muscle contraction without joint movement) or isotonic (involving both muscle and joint movements). They may also include extension and flexion of the back muscles to improve range of motion.

Nerve and Joint Mobilization

Nerve mobilization aims to reduce symptoms by using targeted pressure to improve joint mobility and relieve pain. Joint mobilization and manipulation use similar techniques to restore joint movement and increase the range of motion.

Gait Training

In some cases, sciatica may be caused or exacerbated by problems with the affected person’s gate. Physical therapists in Charlotte may work to correct the problem by identifying unnatural gait patterns. As part of this treatment, the patient may need to undergo a video analysis of their gait so it can be corrected.

Myofascial Release

During myofascial release, the therapist manually manipulates the tissues in the lower back, legs and hips to increase movement and flexibility in the myofascial system (the patient’s soft tissue). These exercises may help decrease muscle tension contributing to undesirable sciatic nerve symptoms.

Alternative Options for Treating Sciatica

In addition to physical therapy, there are alternative options you can use to help reduce your symptoms. These include using over-the-counter pain relievers to temporarily mitigate symptoms, acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic care. But if these methods don’t work for you, physical therapy is a highly effective treatment option.