Is It Really Sciatica?

Muscle weakness, numbness, tingly, achiness, burning sensation down the leg? Sounds like “SCIATICA”. But is it really?

There are many causes such as radiculopathy, peripheral neuropathy, central stenosis etc., that can present as “Sciatica”.

The sciatic nerve consists of multiple nerves from L4-S3 so it’s responsible for the action of knee flexion, ankle plantarflexion (tiptoe), and toe flexion. It also provides sensation to the lower leg & foot.

Radiculopathy is the compression of the nerve root which exits immediately from the vertebra. Since it occurs just as it exits the spinal cord, it affects the entire nerve pathway. An example would be the most common, disc herniations which are reportedly 90% of cases.

Peripheral neuropathy is the impairment of the sciatic nerve from a peripheral structure from the spinal cord such as the piriformis muscle. This is called Piriformis Syndrome! Tightness in the muscle is caused by prolonged sitting or improper stretching post-exercise. Stretching the piriformis is easy & it can be done while you're at work or watching TV at home. PIGEON POSE! Find a counter high enough & put your leg into a figure 4 position, & lean your trunk forward for a more intense stretch in the butt region.

An at-home treatment would be nerve flossing! It's easy to do & has been clinically found to show significant improvement in pain, mobility, & disability. Lay on your bed with no pillow under your head, & with your knee straight, raise your involved leg to a height that is near your PAIN-FREE end range. In that position, try to hold your leg & add in some ankle pumps back & forth 10x for 3 sets. Rest as needed!!

Come visit us for a full assessment of your spinal mobility & muscle integrity to get a full exercise program that will help your sciatica related symptoms whether it’s caused by radiculopathy or peripheral neuropathy!