Resolve Recurrent Sciatica for Good with Physical Therapy

You have lower back pain — again. Maybe the pain isn’t only in your lower back. You may feel severe pain running down your leg. It feels like your leg is on fire. 

You have sciatica again. Once you’ve had one bout with sciatica, you know what it feels like. About 40% of adults in the US have an experience at some point during their life, and you’re one of them. 

Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists with Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine can help you eliminate sciatica pain through time-tested physical therapy techniques.

Sciatica often causes intense, stinging pain rather than a dull pain. It’s pain that sends you to the doctor. Muscle relaxers may have helped your sciatica pain previously. If they don’t do the job this time, what are the options? Furthermore, what’s causing this disability? 

How and why physical therapy works for sciatica 

Your Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine doctor prescribes physical therapy for your sciatica which you can receive right in our office. Our expert physical therapists help you feel better and teach you techniques to make a long lasting difference. 

Physical therapy is the gold standard for treatment of sciatica. Here’s why: 

Strengthens surrounding muscles 

We begin physical therapy with passive modalities such as gentle massage and easy stretches. We help you progress to exercises that strengthen the muscles around your sciatic nerve and lumbar spine. Strong muscles help to support your vertebrae and prevent nerve compression. 

Improves posture which eases sciatica

You’ll also work on improving your posture to keep sciatica symptoms at bay. Do you hunch over your computer when you work? Maybe you read in bed without back support. Perhaps when you stand, your neck stretches out in front of your shoulders or you let your stomach protrude and become swayback. 

We teach you proper posture in both standing and sitting positions. Incorrect posture and lack of back support over a period of time can weaken your muscles, causing spinal misalignment, which can inflame your sciatic nerve. 

Improves flexibility and mobility 

Physical therapy exercises help you regain lost range of motion in the affected joint. It relieves spinal compression and allows your vertebrae and irritated nerve to heal. You’ll be free of pain in your back and legs. You can return to your regular routine and enjoy a better quality of life. 

How many physical therapy sessions do I need to relieve sciatica? 

Depending on your situation, we may prescribe anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks of therapy, with 2 to 3 appointments per week. If your sciatica is severe and recurring, the duration may be longer. 

However, the exercises we teach you in physical therapy should be “forever” exercises that you continue to do when your formal therapy ends. Doing the exercises regularly helps keep severe compression at bay and can make a huge difference in your comfort level. 

You may not need physical therapy again if you commit to continue the exercises at home. Folding them into your daily routine helps ensure you don’t forget to do them. 

Call Delta Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine or book an appointment through our online portal if you have unexplained back pain. We help you get moving again.