09/02/2022
Sciatica is the technical term referring to pain along the path of the sciatic nerve caused by irritation to the nerve or the nerve root. The sciatic nerve root pathways are through L4-S3 vertebra in the spine, these can become compressed commonly called a ‘pinched nerve’ and can be caused by a disc herniation, spinal stenosis, or a bone spur. This is referred to as ‘True Sciatica.’
In clinic it is common that the actual cause of ‘sciatic’ pain is not irritation of the sciatic nerve but referred muscle pain from tight, weak or injured muscles. The originating point of pain is called a trigger point and the place where the pain radiates or is felt is called ‘referred pain.’ This pain can be felt from the lower back, glut muscle and right down the legs.
A range of techniques are used to restore muscle tissue health and relieve pain, this can include deep tissue massage, pin and stripping of the muscle, trigger point therapy, cupping, dry needling and PNF stretching.