Sciatica
Sciatica is pain from an irritated sciatic nerve, usually running from the buttock down the back of one leg. It is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and physical therapy works by finding what is bothering the nerve in your low back or hip. PAR Physical Therapy treats sciatica in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
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Why pain down my leg starts in the back
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It leaves the lower spine, passes through the buttock and runs down the back of the leg. When something presses on or irritates it, you feel the pain where the nerve travels, not only where the problem is. That is why a stiff back can show up as shooting pain in the leg.
Sciatic nerve pain on one side is the classic pattern. Patients describe shooting pain in leg, numbness in leg and tingling down leg, often from a pinched nerve in lower back. It is often worse after sitting for a long time.
Common causes of a pinched nerve in the lower back
Herniated disc
The most common cause. Part of a disc presses on a nerve root, a problem doctors call lumbar radiculopathy.
Spinal stenosis
A narrowed space around the nerves, often with wear in the spine, can cause leg symptoms with standing and walking.
Piriformis syndrome
A tight or irritated piriformis muscle deep in the buttock can pinch the nerve and cause buttock pain.
Spondylolisthesis
One spinal bone slips forward on the one below it and narrows the space for the nerve.
What you may feel, and how we find the source
Symptoms point to a cause, and the exam confirms it.
Symptoms
One-sided leg pain, numbness in the leg, tingling down the leg, weakness, and pain that is worse with sitting.
The exam
Your therapist checks how your back and hips move, tests strength and sensation in the leg, and finds which positions ease or bring on the symptoms.
Back or hip?
Some sciatica-like pain comes from the hip. We sort that out with the exam. See Hip Pain if the pain stays around the hip.
How treatment works
We treat the cause, then train you to keep it from coming back. Read more on Back Pain for the spine itself.
- Directional preference exercises: repeated movements that reduce leg symptoms
- Nerve glides (neural mobilization) to help the nerve slide more freely
- Hands-on manual therapy and joint mobilization for the back and hip
- Core stabilization exercise to support the spine
- Dry Needling for tight muscles such as the piriformis, when it fits
What recovery usually looks like
Many people with sciatica improve over weeks with the right exercises and activity changes, and most cases improve without surgery. We keep you moving, since staying active within comfort usually helps more than rest. Your plan and timeline depend on the cause and how long you have had symptoms.
Numbness or tingling in both feet that is not coming from the spine is a different problem. See Peripheral Neuropathy.
Get medical help right away if you notice
- Foot drop, or leg weakness that is getting worse
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Numbness in the groin or inner thighs
A doctor's referral is not always needed. Tell us when you schedule, bring your insurance card, and we will go over what your plan requires.
Related care
Sciatica care in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet
Call either clinic or request an appointment. Same-day appointments are possible, and we accept most insurance plans.
We see patients in Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Request an Appointment Call Myrtle Beach Call Murrells Inlet