Jonathan Collier Injury Rehabilitation

‘Sciatica’ is a common phrase people use that come to see me about lower back pain associated with buttock and leg pain.

In scientific terms Sciatica is; “Characterised by radiating posterior or posterior-lateral leg pain, which sometimes is accompanied by back pain, sensory loss, weakness or reflex abnormalities”

Sciatica can be caused by a number of pathologies such as; irritation of the nerve root of the lumbar and lumbosacral spine (lower back), degenerative discs or lumbar spine stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column)

In the clinic, treatment for Sciatica is varied dependant on the causes. There tends to be a combination of;

• Spinal Joint mobilisation
• Soft tissue massage/sports massage
• Acupuncture
• MET (muscle energy techniques)
• Neural sliders (mobilisation of the nerve)
• And the correct lumbopelvic strengthen exercises.

What advice would you give to someone who suffers with sciatica?

Anyone who has been to see me regarding lower back or spinal pain would know my main advise is to “KEEP MOVING!”. Spines are a lot more robust than they are giving credit for. Carry on with your daily lifestyle as much as possible. Movement is your spines friend. Start graded strengthening around the area as soon as possible. Defiantly DO NOT lie or sit down for long periods of time. Even though movement can be painful, it is not harmful. Manual therapy/injury rehabilitation is always advised to achieve the best recovery.

JPC

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