If you’re experiencing Sciatica, your doctor may prescribe physical therapy or you can schedule an evaluation with a Physical Therapist through direct access. When coming to PT for sciatic pain, you can expect:
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- Evaluation: a thorough evaluation from a Physical Therapist including an analysis of your symptoms, palpation of your spine and lower body to assess for pain, spinal range of motion assessment, and lower body strength assessment. From there, your PT will develop a personal plan of care to treat your symptoms over the course of therapy.
- Treatment: Treatment for sciatica will vary slightly from patient to patient, depending on the severity and symptoms experienced. Your PT treatment may look something like this:
- Warm up: Treatment begins with a warm up, such as a moist hot pack placed on your low back, or possibly riding the recumbent bike to warm up and prepare your muscles for exercises.
- Therapeutic exercise: Exercise will include instruction and performance of multiple stretches to increase flexibility in order to offload pressure on your spine that might be increasing sciatic symptoms. Strengthening exercises will be included to improve the stability of your spine and core. Leg strengthening may be included as needed to address any weakness as a result of the sciatica.
- Manual therapy: Your therapist may also take a hands-on approach to treat your sciatica including passive stretching for improved flexibility and soft tissue mobilization to reduce tension in tight muscles.
- Mechanical Traction: Use of a lumbar traction machine, which is a form of spinal decompression that reduces the pressure placed on the sciatic nerve.
- Dry Needling: a technique physical therapists use for the treatment of pain and movement impairments.
- Electric Stimulation paired with Heat/Ice pack: Use of a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) unit to reduce pain paired with either a moist hot pack or ice pack to increase comfortability and further reduce pain.
If you are experiencing any kind of back pain or have been diagnosed with Sciatica, contact us for a free consultation. To request an appointment, click here, or call directly to one of our three locations during regular business hours:
Cool Springs: 615-224-9810
Shelbyville: 931-684-0027
Spring Hill: 931-489-2022
Disclaimer: The information in this blog is intended to be informational only, and is not intended to be used in lieu of medical care. Consult a doctor or a physical therapist before attempting treatment on your own.
