Sciatica
Sciatica is pain from an irritated sciatic nerve, usually running from the buttock down the back of one leg. It is a symptom, not a diagnosis, so physical therapy starts by finding what is bothering the nerve in your low back or hip. We treat sciatica at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.
Why a back problem shows up as pain down my leg
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It starts in the lower back and travels through the hips and buttocks and down the leg. When something presses on or irritates it, you feel the symptoms along its path, not only where the problem is.
That is why a stiff, irritated low back can show up as sciatic nerve pain: shooting pain in leg, numbness in leg, tingling down leg or a burning feeling, usually on one side. Many people find it worse after long periods of sitting, driving, bending or lifting.
What can pinch or irritate the nerve
Herniated disc
Part of a disc presses on a nerve root in the spine. Doctors call a nerve root problem like this lumbar radiculopathy, and it is a common cause of a pinched nerve in the lower back.
Spinal stenosis
A narrowed space around the nerves, often from wear and bone spurs, can bring on leg symptoms when you stand or walk.
Piriformis syndrome
A tight or irritated piriformis muscle deep in the buttock can squeeze the nerve and cause buttock pain that can feel like sciatica.
Spondylolisthesis
One spinal bone slips forward on the one below it and crowds the nerve.
How we work out where it is coming from
Where the symptoms sit and which positions change them point toward the cause.
Your history
We ask what the pain feels like, where it travels, what eases it and what brings it on.
Movement and strength tests
Your therapist checks how your back and hips move, tests strength and feeling in the leg, and tries repeated movements to see whether any of them pull the symptoms out of the leg and back toward the spine.
Back or hip?
Some pain that feels like sciatica comes from the hip. If your pain stays around the hip, see Hip Pain.
Nerve testing when needed
If numbness or weakness will not settle, EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies and nerve conduction studies at our clinics can show how well the nerve is working.
How we treat sciatica
We treat the cause, then teach you to keep it from coming back. Back pain without leg symptoms is on our Back Pain page.
- Directional preference exercises, found through mechanical diagnosis and therapy, to reduce leg symptoms
- Manual therapy and joint mobilization for the back and hip
- Dry needling for tight muscles such as the piriformis, which can calm muscle tension around an irritated nerve
- Neuromuscular re-education and posture correction to take stress off the spine
- Core and hip strengthening, with a home program
What recovery usually looks like
Many people with sciatica improve with physical therapy, and some need a surgeon's opinion if weakness or severe pain continues. Progress is rarely a straight line, so we track your symptoms, how far the pain reaches down the leg, and what you can do again, and we change the plan as you change.
Texas allows direct access, so in many cases you can start without a referral. We can help verify your insurance requirements before the first visit.
Get medical care right away if you have
- Weakness in the foot or leg that is getting worse, or a foot that drags or slaps
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Numbness in the groin or inner thighs
Numbness in both feet that does not come from the spine is covered on Peripheral Neuropathy.
Related care
Sciatica treatment in El Paso, Texas
Call or request an appointment at our Edgemere or Physicians clinic. We will find what is irritating the nerve and build a plan around it.
We see patients at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.