Sciatica is not a diagnosis so much as a description: pain following the path of the sciatic nerve, from the lower back through the buttock and down the leg. Something is irritating that nerve, most often a disc. It can be severe, and it is one of the more distressing things we see — but the natural history is genuinely favourable, and most people improve substantially without surgery.

Does this sound like you?

Most people have several of these, not all of them.

Sharp, burning or shooting pain down the back of the leg, often past the knee
Leg pain that is worse than the back pain
Pins and needles or numbness in the calf, foot or toes
Symptoms worse on sitting, coughing or sneezing
Weakness pushing off the foot or lifting the toes

Why it happens

A lumbar disc bulge pressing on the nerve root
Age-related narrowing where the nerve exits the spine
Tightness or spasm through the deep buttock muscles
A sustained flexed posture, such as long-distance driving
Sudden loaded bending and twisting

What we would do about it

Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.

Finding the positions and movements that reduce the leg symptoms, and using them
Manual therapy to the lower back and hip once it will tolerate it
Nerve mobilisation introduced as irritability drops
Progressive strengthening through the trunk, hip and leg
Realistic timeframes — this is usually weeks to months, not days
Referral for a specialist opinion if weakness progresses or pain will not settle

See a doctor first if

Your pain followed a significant injury
It is getting worse rather than settling
It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.

Leg symptoms should be assessed, not endured

We can work out which nerve is involved, how irritable it is, and whether anything needs a doctor. Then we can get the pain moving in the right direction.

Book a sciatica assessment Ask a question first

Or call us on 0403 907 587 — we see patients across Seaton.

Other back conditions we treat

Lower Back Pain Disc Herniation Sacroiliac Joint Pain Spinal Stenosis Upper Back Pain

Back to all back conditions

General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Sciatica on Physiopedia.

Sciatica