The answer to this question tends to vary from person to person, but there are medical professionals you can turn to when you need to find out what is behind your sciatic nerve pain.
Sciatic nerve pain is caused by an issue called sciatica. This condition occurs when one of the sciatic nerves becomes pinched or irritated somehow, and it’s estimated that up to 40% of people develop sciatica in their lifetime. One medical professional who can help you learn what is behind your sciatic nerve pain is a physical therapist. In addition, these specialists can assist you with effective sciatica treatment.
These issues could be what is behind your sciatic nerve pain
Because the spine and back are two of the most complex structures in the human musculoskeletal system, there are many issues that could be the direct cause of your sciatica. Fortunately, physical therapists are trained to treat issues with this body system, and this knowledge can help them identify sciatica-causing problems like:
- Poor posture
- Herniated lumbar discs
- Back muscle injuries
- Spinal osteoarthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Spinal stenosis
How physical therapists can treat what is behind your sciatic nerve pain
After identifying the cause of your pain, your physical therapist can then help you treat your pain and other sciatica symptoms. Your treatment will typically revolve around a program that contains a combination of therapy methods. A few of the therapy methods your therapist could include in your program are:
- Therapeutic exercises that can help stretch and strengthen your core, buttocks and lower back muscles.
- Aquatic therapy to help you move around while reducing stress on your injured lower back.
- Dry needling designed to break up knots of tension in lower back soft tissue and reduce pain.
- Manual therapy that focuses on realigning the vertebrae in your lumbar spine and releasing tension in lower back soft tissue.
Find out how effectively Peak Performance physical therapists can treat your sciatica
Searching for effective physical therapy for what is behind your sciatic nerve pain? Our physical therapy experts at Peak Performance are just the type of help you’re looking for. We can start by doing a free screening to determine the root cause of your symptoms. Then, our specialists can construct a personalized physical therapy plan for you that’s designed to:
- Reduce your pain.
- Increase your lower back mobility.
- Improve your ability to do normal daily tasks.
- Decrease your risk of developing sciatica in the future.
You’ll even be able to get help without leaving your home if you sign up for a virtual therapy session with one of our physical therapists.
Contact us today for more information about our treatments for sciatica or to schedule your initial appointment.