Sciatica
Approximately 80% of people in the UK will suffer from a bout of low back pain at some point in their lives. Once the pain manifests and then radiates down the buttock and the back of the leg this is diagnosed as sciatica. In most cases, it is felt down one side of the body.
Sciatica can be caused by a variety of issues such as injuries to the lower back; disc bulges, muscle spasms, facet irritation or locks. The injuries themselves impinge the sciatic nerve which then creates the symptoms of nerve pain spreading down the back of the leg and possibly into the sole of the foot.
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body and arises from 5 spinal segments at the lower part of the back. The sciatic nerve supplies the buttocks, the back of the leg and below the knee.
Symptoms can include shooting pain, numbness, pins and needles, aches, pains, stiffness, weakness, pain on going up and down stairs, pain on sitting, pain on standing, sharp pain associated with movement and pain on rotation.
The Osteopath will take your medical case history, run testing including orthopaedic and neurological tests. Which will help to indicate the source of the impinged nerve. Which can then be treated effectively, getting rid of the symptoms of sciatica.
Like anything, the quicker you have an issue see to the sooner you will be able to access your treatment and begin healing.