The term "sciatica" means leg pain. True Sciatica is actually rare as it actually means that there is compression of the sciatic nerve which is a nerve that anatomically speaking starts in the buttock region and to compress the sciatic nerve directly is not very common. However the sciatic nerve is supplied by other nerve roots which start higher up in the lower spine. Any inflammation or trapped nerves with the lower back can affect those nerve roots and cause "sciatic nerve" type pain which is very common and we see this regularly in practice. Some symptoms can be mild and progressively get worse over time and others can be extremely acute which can start following a trauma (lifting a heavy object for example). Some patients experience pain just in the buttock area and others can feel it run all the down to their toes.
How can Osteopathy help?
First of all, the Osteopath needs to find out the cause of the "sciatica" as it could be caused by the lower back but could also be due to an issue in another joint for instance. The Osteopath will do a series of movements and tests including neurological tests to work out if the leg pain is to do with trapped nerves or simply a referred pain from a joint.
The aim of the treatment is to reduce the inflammation, any pressure of nerves and improve mobility in the affected areas. The techniques Osteopaths use are adapted depending on the severity of the symptoms and what the patient is comfortable with. The Osteopath might also give you some advice and exercises to help with recovery and to prevent the same problem to happen again
