Dr. Kodlady Surendra Shetty

352241The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the human body. It runs from the lower back, through the buttocks, your hamstrings and into the lower leg. Sciatica means pain in the leg, numbness or any kind of weakness in the lower back. There can be many reasons for a leg pain such as an injury to the leg or it can be due to the main nerve which travels in the lower back. Many times, it is not diagnosed properly and hence it will take a lot of time to respond to the treatment or in some cases, it may not respond at all. 

Symptoms of Sciatica: 

1. You will experience pain in the lower back only on one side of the body. 
2. The pain continues from the lower back to the sciatic nerve. 
3. Rarely, you will see the pain on both sides of the body or buttocks. 
4. The pain is very sharp. 
5. In some cases, the patient may experience a needles or pins sensation in the leg and in some cases, it is weakness or numbness in the lower back. 
6. The pain gets so severe that you will not be able to walk or even stand. 
7. If you have lower back pain combined with leg pain, then lower back pain is not going to be as severe as the leg pain. With the help of the symptoms, your doctor will be able to diagnose sciatica but in order to know the exact cause and origin of this pain, you will have to undergo other tests and examinations. 

Physiotherapy for Sciatica: 
There are many surgical treatments available for sciatica, but it is always good to go for non-surgical treatments. So you can opt for physiotherapy. You will be able to see better and long lasting results with this treatment. As it involves a thorough assessment of it o352241n which the treatment protocol is laid. 

Physiotherapy involves four phases: 

1. Pain relief 
2. Restoration of normal flexibility 
3. Restoration of full functionality 
4. Prevention of recurrence 

In sciatica, it is due to unbearable pain, you seek treatment. So that has to be treated initially. When you can see that the pain is under control, then the physiotherapist will start working on the range of motion for your joints. The muscle tension will be reduced and muscle strength will be improved. In the third stage, your physiotherapist will start working on restoring the normal function of your body, especially your legs and your lower back. In the last stage, the physiotherapist will help you with some exercises that will stop its recurrence. Usually, sciatica will return after some time but taking a little care at the early stage can prevent it.  In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!