Sciatica Edinburgh

Sciatica is characterised by pain radiating into your legs and sometimes feet. The pain often starts in the low back, hip or buttocks. There may be accompanying pins and needles, loss of sensation and weakness. Sciatica can be an extremely debilitating condition with patients unable to walk, exercise or sleep properly. The pain can be a deep ache, throbbing, shooting, sharp or electric. Pain may be intermittent or constant. Many patients are worried that the pain isn’t going away or seems to be getting worse.

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is caused by irritation to the sciatic nerve from joints, discs or muscles in your low back and hip. The sciatic nerve travels from your low back into your legs and feet. When aggravated, pain can travel along its length and affect pain, sensation and strength. Sedentary lifestyles, sporting injuries, excessive exercise, falls, chronic stress, disc problems and repetitive manual labour can all contribute to stress and tension in the structures that affect your sciatic nerve.

How Can We Help Your Sciatica?

Chiropractors help by diagnosing which structures in your low back and hip are causing aggravation to the sciatic nerve. Gently restoring normal movement to the joints allows tense muscles to relax and reduces sciatic nerve irritation. Disc problems can often be a cause of sciatica. Improving movement to the joint also takes pressure off the disc which allows it to heal and improves sciatic nerve pain.

By gently correcting restrictions and prescribing tailor-made rehabilitation exercises and lifestyle changes, we will help you to overcome sciatica and get back to an active life again.

Chiropractors are trained to diagnose and treat conditions of the neuromusculoskeletal system (nerves, muscles and bones). There is excellent evidence to support visiting a chiropractor for sciatica.