Sciatica Treatment

You don’t have to live with discomfort. Let’s find the path to relief together.

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Is Sciatica Controlling Your Life?

Have you ever experienced burning or shooting pain that started in your lower back before spreading down through your hip and leg? You could be experiencing sciatica, which occurs when the sciatic nerve or associated nerve pathways become irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed.

While this is not usually a serious condition and most cases will improve on their own with time, Williamstown Health and Lifestyle understands that any pain can be debilitating. You don’t have to live like this – seeing a physio in Williamstown may make all the difference.

What is Sciatica?

We each have two sciatic nerves (the name given to a bundle of nerves that branch off from the spinal cord). Each nerve runs through the hip and buttock on either side of the body, going down the length of the leg until just below the knee. Once there, the nerve splits into other nerves.

Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve, or any of the nerves that connect to it, becomes injured or irritated.

Sciatica can occur due to any condition that affects the sciatic nerve, with some causes including:

  • Injury
  • Herniated discs
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Pregnancy
  • Tumours, cysts, and other growths

Symptoms of Sciatica

Having sciatica means that you can have mild to severe pain anywhere along the nerve pathway that connects to the sciatic nerve. As such, the symptoms are many and varied. While it usually only affects one leg at a time, both legs can be affected.

Symptoms may include:

  • Pain that is described as burning or an electric shock
  • Pain that shoots or radiates down the leg
  • Lower back pain
  • Pain that occurs with coughing, sneezing, bending, or lifting the legs upwards (when lying on your back)
  • Tingling or “pins and needles”
  • Numbness
  • Muscle weakness
  • Urinary or fecal incontinence (in more severe cases)

Sciatica Treatment Options

There are several treatment options if you have sciatica that won’t go away or is more severe. At Williamstown Health and Lifestyle, we take the time to understand your background and concerns so that we can tailor a treatment plan just for you.

Depending on your needs and goals, this may include:

In very severe cases and where conservative treatment has failed, surgery may be recommended.

physiotherapy sciatica williamstown

Your Sciatica Questions Answered

Recovery time from sciatica will depend on many factors (including the severity of your symptoms, their cause, and your specific treatment). Many cases go away within four to six weeks, whereas more severe cases can take months to improve. Waiting too long to seek treatment can also affect your outcome, so it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

People between the ages of 20 and 50 are most likely to have herniated discs (and, therefore, more likely to develop sciatica). Other risk factors include being overweight, having a job that requires you to twist your back or carry heavy loads, spending a lot of time sitting, and having diabetes.

While some cases of sciatica are preventable, others occur for unpredictable or unknown reasons. There are, however, things you can do to reduce the risk of sciatica occurring, including maintaining good posture, staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco products, and taking time to recover if you are injured.

Why Williamstown Health + Lifestyle

Free shockwave therapy

We have found that shockwave therapy boosts treatment efficiencies, as well as cuts down on treatment time and patient visit averages, which is why we offer it for free in-clinic.

Collaborative approach

Our team of skilled allied health professionals works closely together in creating and delivering personalised treatment plans that help to relieve pain and get you back moving.

10+ Years of Experience

We’ve been helping people in the Williamstown area get back to doing what they love for more than 13 years now. Whether you live or work locally, we’d love to help you, too!

Say Goodbye to Sciatic Nerve Pain

Whether your sciatica is recent or something you’ve been managing for years, relief is possible. Our team of experienced physiotherapists, osteopaths, myotherapists, massage therapists, and Pilates instructors works together to tailor a treatment plan that addresses both your symptoms and the root cause.

Don’t let sciatic pain hold you back. Book an appointment at Williamstown Health and Lifestyle today and take the first step toward moving comfortably again.

Making A Booking