Can Physical Therapy Heal My Sciatica?

If you have pain at the hip or shooting down one leg, it very well could be sciatica. This condition affects roughly 40% of people at some point during their lives. 

Fortunately, because this condition is so common, a wide range of treatment options exist. More good news: Some of them are noninvasive. 

Take physical therapy as an example. This resource might be an effective way to address your sciatica. Some people see complete relief with physical therapy. Even if it doesn’t fully heal your sciatic pain, it might improve your symptoms. 

As a sciatica expert, Dr. Jonathan Carlson is available to help you determine if physical therapy (PT) could help you. He might recommend PT in conjunction with other sciatica treatments like medication. Visit us at Hawai’i Pain and Spine on the Windward side of O’ahu in Kailua and Dr. Carlson can tailor a sciatica plan to you. 

In many cases, that means starting with physical therapy.

Why physical therapy is important for sciatica

Sciatica develops when something presses on your sciatic nerve. You have two of these nerves, starting in your low back and branching down each of your legs. That’s why some people feel sciatica pain in their hip, while others feel it radiating down one leg. 

Sciatica can cause:

• Pain with movement
• Muscle weakness
• Pins-and-needles sensations
• Numbness

PT can help address all of these symptoms. First, movement supports healthy circulation, which means any injury behind the sciatica pain gets the nutrients it needs to heal. 

Your physical therapist can also explore stretches that alleviate pressure on the nerve, bringing you relief. 

At the same time, you can use your PT appointments to find out the best way to move without triggering your symptoms. A good physical therapist offers functional retraining so you can do certain movements — like squatting or lifting something — while putting minimal pressure on your sciatic nerve. 

With the carefully controlled amount of movement you get during physical therapy, you support your body’s healing processes. A few weeks of physical therapy may be enough to alleviate your sciatica pain. 

Finding relief from your sciatica

If your sciatica doesn’t improve with PT, Dr. Carlson can employ other tools to treat your discomfort. 

In many cases, he’ll start with diagnostic imaging like X-rays or MRI to pinpoint the nerve that’s causing your discomfort and identify what might be pressing on it. 

If rest and physical therapy aren’t helping, he recommends more involved treatment like:

• Epidural corticosteroid injections 
• Muscle relaxants
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Regenerative medicine

If your sciatica pain hasn’t improved after three months of conservative treatment like these, you may need surgery to resolve the issue. If a herniated disc is pressing on your sciatic nerve, for example, a laminectomy with discectomy can remove it. 

Ultimately, Dr. Carlson continues working with you until you find relief. For many patients, physical therapy is enough. But if you need more involved treatment, Dr. Carlson tailors a care plan to you. To address your sciatica, schedule an appointment by calling our office today.