Tag Archive for: Sciatica

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Can an osteopath help with sciatica pain?

Can osteopathy help relieve sciatica?

In one word: yes. Osteopathy treatment for Sciatica can help to ease this debilitating nerve pain and prevent any future attacks by addressing the root cause/s of the problem.

In fact, according the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, the use of manual therapy (like Osteopathic spinal manipulation, mobilisation or soft tissue techniques such as massage) and exercise are two of the ‘most effective’ non-invasive and non-pharmacological interventions for managing Sciatica. 

But before I dive deeper into how and why Osteopathy can help offer some much-needed relief from Sciatica, let’s explain what this nerve pain is, the symptoms you might experience and the causes of this common condition, which is believed to affect approximately 40% of people at some time in their lives. 

What is Sciatica?

If you’ve ever suffered the ill fate of Sciatica, you’ll know how excruciating this nerve pain can be.

Put simply, Sciatica is a disturbance or compression of the sciatic nerve — which is the longest nerve in the human body. 

Beginning at the lower spinal region, your sciatic nerve travels through the buttocks and down both legs to the feet. At its thickest point, it reaches 2cm in diameter.

What causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is caused by compression of the sciatic nerve. 

This compression is most commonly due to a bulging spinal disc in the lower spine which can happen over time when their hard, fibrous outer structure can develop tiny tears, usually as a result of overload or poor posture. This often results in a spinal disc’s inner soft core to protrude, which can impinge on the surrounding tissues, including the sciatic nerve. 

Degenerative spinal arthritis can also put pressure on the sciatic nerve and the same goes for lumbar spinal stenosis, which is when the tunnels in the spinal canal narrow. 

Additionally, pelvic or lumbar muscular spasms may impinge a lumbar or sacral nerve root causing sciatic symptoms. 

The common symptoms of Sciatica

There are a few common symptoms of Sciatica to watch out for. This includes:

  • Shooting, burning or stabbing pains along the sciatic nerve, especially in the buttock(s), hips and lower back.
    This pain can also radiate in your groin, feet and/or toes, back of the thighs and down the legs
  • Pins and needles in the legs and/or feet
  • Numbness and weakness in the affected areas 

All of the above can be exacerbated by lumbar spine flexion, twisting, coughing, prolonged sitting, walking or heavy lifting. 

How do you make Sciatica go away?

The good news is that most cases of Sciatica resolve in less than four to six weeks with no long-term complications. 

However this will depend on the patient’s age, lifestyle, medical history and whether or not you stick to any medical advice given. 

Some often find relief from Sciatica by:

  • Using ice hydrotherapy to decrease inflammation and help with comfort levels 
  • Engaging in exercises to increase core strength and/or regular low-impact exercises, like walking or swimming 
  • Avoiding prolonged periods of sitting or standing
  • Maintaining good posture 
  • Gently stretch the lumbar spine and hamstrings
  • Using proper lifting techniques

Some Sciatica sufferers also turn to the use of pain killers. 

However, as an Osteopath and qualified Naturopath, instead of masking the problem I prefer to help patients get to the root cause and find relief from Sciatica with a range of non-invasive and evidence-backed Osteopathic treatments. Doing so helps to minimise the chances of your symptoms recurring.

Evidence-backed Osteopath treatment for Sciatica

As I touched on earlier, when it comes to managing Sciatica, NICE recommends the use of manual therapy and exercise as a way of improving symptoms. 

This comes after various studies, including this 2023 review, found that there is “high-level scientific evidence” to support the use of Osteopathy for Sciatica. 

Therefore, as a trained Osteopath with 30 years of experience, there are a number of safe, gentle and effective (Osteopathic) treatments I can draw upon. This includes:

  • Spinal manipulation
  • Stretching 
  • Massage
  • Articulation
  • Western Medical Acupuncture
  • Low Level Laser Therapy

All of the above can help increase the mobility of joints, relieve sciatic nerve compression, reduce pain, enhance the blood supply to tissues and help the body to heal.

I can also provide you with tailored stretches and exercises that can help ‘release’ the trapped nerve and help restore your range of motion.

If you have used my Osteopath services before, you’ll know that I also frequently combine Osteopathy with one or more other therapies, such as Western acupuncture, when seeking the best treatment outcome for a patient. 

And when it comes to getting rid of Sciatica pain, acupuncture is another allied therapy I can use at my disposal as research has found that this form of alternative medicine “may be effective in treating the pain associated with Sciatica”.

Get relief from Sciatica

If you’re suffering with Sciatica pain, don’t suffer in silence. As is the case with most things, the longer you leave it, the worse it can get. 

To prevent this from happening, give the North London Osteopathy clinic a call on 020 8815 0979 or book a treatment here. 

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Let’s give sciatica the sack

Sciatica can strike anyone

What do football manager Thierry Henry, actress and singer Olivia Newton-John and Jean-Claude Juncker, the former President of the European Commission, all have in common? Not much on the face of it, but the fact is that all three have, at one time or other, been battling sciatica.

The former Arsenal striker went from strength to strength following a bout in 2006. Grease star Newton-John was forced to cancel several concerts two years ago while the painful condition was blamed – amidst much speculation – for the 64-year-old Juncker’s stumbles during a recent Nato summit.

What is sciatica?

The older generation will be more familiar with it as Lumbago, but Sciatica (as it’s now called) is an unpleasant and disruptive condition that can potentially afflict anyone – of all ages and levels of fitness!  It’s often confused with other types of back pain and occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or injured. This nerve is the largest and longest in the human body. It runs all the way from the lumbar region in the lower back, through the buttocks and down both legs to the feet. Symptoms can make themselves felt anywhere along the nerve, from the lower back, through the genital region and all the way to the feet.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Common symptoms of sciatica include:

  • Stabbing, burning or shooting pains along the sciatic nerve in the:
    • lower back, hip and/or buttock(s)
    • backs of the thighs and down the legs
    • feet and/or toes
    • genital area
  • Burning or tingling (pins and needles) in the legs and/or feet
  • Numbness and weakness in affected areas
  • All of the above made worse by prolonged sitting, standing or walking, heavy lifting and any activity with an impact on the spine (eg running)

Causes of sciatica

The vast majority of sciatica cases are caused by:

A herniated or protruding disc: Positioned between the vertebrae (bones in the spinal column) discs act as shock absorbers or cushions with the lower spinal discs taking on most of the upper body weight. Over time their hard, fibrous outer structure may develop tiny tears, usually as a result of overload or poor posture. This allows their jelly-like inner core to herniate or protrude, irritating the sciatic nerve. and often referred to as a ‘trapped nerve’.

Poor posture: Sitting incorrectly with more weight on one hip than the other can irritate or compress the sciatic nerve.

Degenerative Spinal Arthritis. Osteoarthritis in the spine can damage the cartilage (connective tissue) on the joints and discs in the neck and lower back, producing spurs of bone that press against the sciatic nerve.

Impingement of the sciatic nerve along its course:  the sciatic nerve can be affected by the pelvic joints (sacroiliac joints) or if the nerve passes through the Piriformis muscle (deep in the buttock region), where tightening of the muscle can give sciatic-type symptoms. 

Treating sciatica with Robin Kiashek

The condition may improve on its own after four to six weeks, although this largely depends on the patient’s age, medical history, lifestyle and, importantly, whether he or she heeds my advice! Try not to let it interfere with your daily activities. You can help yourself in battling sciatica via:

  • Avoiding prolonged sitting
  • Keeping moving but only if this doesn’t cause you pain
  • Using cold hydrotherapy (sitting in a cool bath or gentle swimming) to relieve pain on the lower spine
  • Avoiding high impact activities
  • Not sleeping on your front and either putting a pillow under your knees if sleeping on your back, or putting a pillow between your knees if side-lying

Does sciatica go away on its own?

If your symptoms show no sign of improving after a few days, please make an appointment at one of the Robin Kiashek Clinics. I will take a full case history and perform a clinical examination to determine the exact cause of your pain. We will then agree on a treatment plan which may also include advice on exercise, posture, pain management and how to prevent any future attacks.

To get in touch please call 020 8815 0979 or click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What is Sciatica?

sciatica_diagram [Converted]

Sciatica (or in layman’s terminology lumbago) is a common nerve pain, which is a symptom of an underlying condition that affects the back, hips and legs. It is characterised by a pain accompanied sometimes by pins & needles and/or numbness and/or weakness in the legs. Sometimes the pain affects both legs, and though it most commonly runs down the back of the legs, it can manifest at the front or side too. The cause of the symptoms is irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve.

What is the sciatic nerve?

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, beginning at lower spinal region, running through the buttocks and extends right down the length of the leg to the feet. The symptoms (pain/pins & needles/numbness/weakness) can be felt either locally in the lower back or anywhere along the course of the sciatic nerve (as far as the feet). Other areas, including the genital region, can also be affected.

How do you get sciatica?

In most cases sciatica is caused by an irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, commonly a bulging disc in the lower (Lumbar) spine. Discs are very special shock-absorbing, cushioning tissue structures, which sit between the vertebrae (the bones that make up the spinal column). Structurally, discs can the thought of as having an inner soft core (nucleous pulposus) surrounded by tough circular outer fibres (nucleous fibrosus), the outer fibres holding in place the softer inner core. Typically, over a period of time, the outer surrounding fibres develop micro tears due to, for example, poor posture or overloading over a long period of time (see the June blog article ‘The Dripping Tap Syndrome’). Bearing in mind the lower spinal discs absorb most of the upper body weight, these micro fissures in the outer fibres begin to allow the inner soft core to bulge outwards through the tougher outer fibres, resulting in a ‘disc bulge’, which in turn can begin to impinge on the surrounding tissues, including the sciatic nerve (this scenario is commonly eroneously called a ‘trapped nerve’).

How is sciatica treated?

sciaticaHere at the Robin Kiashek Clinics we promote prevention, and have plenty of advice on keeping your spine healthy and pain-free (see our recent article ’10 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Spine’). However, if you are either experiencing symptoms, no matter how mild, or would like an assessment, an initial consultation should be considered. Robin will take a full case history followed by a clinical examination, which will provide you with a ‘working diagnosis’ of your situation.

You will get a care plan for your treatment, which may include a couple of follow up appointments, and you will get plenty of guidance on understanding pain, and will be given a strategy to move your recovery forward, including advice on exercise.

For more information on sciatica or to book an appointment with Robin, please call 020 8815 0979.

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