The agony of sciatica can be debilitating, impacting one's quality of life and daily activities. Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve, which starts in the lower back and extends through the hips and buttocks down each leg. Commonly, it affects only one side of the body (Valat et al., Spine Journal, 2010). Wimbledon Clinic Osteopathy recognises the complexities of sciatica and employs evidence-based osteopathic treatments to aid its clientele. Here, we delve into how osteopathy can be a beacon of hope for those afflicted with sciatica.
Understanding 'True' Sciatica
The primary cause of 'true' sciatica is a herniated disc, bone spur on the spine, or narrowing of the spine (lumbar spinal stenosis) that compresses part of the nerve. This compression causes inflammation, pain, and often some numbness in the affected leg (Jensen et al., Spine Journal, 1994).
Symptoms include:
- Burning or tingling sensation down the leg
- Weakness or numbness
- Constant pain on one side of the rear
- Shooting pain that makes standing up difficult
These elements come in so many different severities it's essential to get a thorough examination and, in some cases, an MRI to determine the point of the actual/ 'true' sciatica element. Then with this deal, the prognosis of osteopthic care in Wimbledon for sciatica can be planned. More often than not, these MRIs show very little pressure on the nerve, and then the sciatica diagnosis becomes more likely false sciatica.
Understanding False sciatica
Yes, it's common to be diagnosed with sciatica because you have referred pain down the thigh but not below the knee. While this may be true sciatica, it becomes more likely that your pain may be misdiagnosed as sciatica if it doesn't go below the knee.
Often, pain from the buttock to the thigh or lower back to the buttock can come from another inflamed tissue. Below, we show examples of referral pain patterns for the SI joint and some of the glutes.
If your pain patterns are referred more like these, results can often be much quicker than true sciatica, where the disc is involved.
Combined sciatica True and False
Its typically mild false sciatica may cause a limp or adaptive stance, stressing the disc. And usually, this can happen the other way around. A typical case with Combined Sciatica usually has a long history of pain that has peaked and settled for a while (more than 8 weeks).
In the case of combined sciatica in Wimbledon, We would first work on false sciatica elements (gluts muscles, Lumbar/ Lower Back Facets and SI joints), which should offer a quicker release. It depends on how much pain false sciatica creates to see how much relief you can generate quickly. Once the false sciatica is improved, clients feel more capable of self-healing from true sciatica.
The Osteopathic Approach
Osteopathy is a holistic and patient-centred approach to healthcare. The foundational belief is that the body is interconnected, and issues in one part can manifest as pain in another (Licciardone et al., The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 2005). This philosophy is particularly relevant to sciatica, where a spine problem can lead to leg pain.
How Wimbledon Clinic Osteopathy Can Help
- Manual Manipulation: This involves a gentle hands-on approach, where the osteopath uses stretching, gentle pressure, and resisted movements to improve the range of motion, alleviate muscle tension, and increase blood flow to the affected areas (Andersson et al., Spine Journal, 1999).
- Muscle Energy Techniques: This is a form of osteopathic manipulative treatment where the patient's muscles are actively used on request, from a precisely controlled position, in a specific direction, against a distinctly executed physician counterforce (Chila et al., Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine, 2011).
- Exercise and Stretching Recommendations: Targeted exercises and stretches can help relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve, strengthen the back muscles, and promote recovery. Each regimen is tailored to the individual's needs and physical capabilities. Through our postural software, this becomes an objective task tracked to see the responses.
- Posture and Ergonomics Counseling: Proper posture and ergonomic practices can prevent the recurrence of sciatic pain. The clinic provides insights and advice on adjusting daily routines at work, at home, or during recreational activities.
- Shock Wave Therapy: This sound wave technology helps treat false sciatic elements like nothing else and has remarkable outcomes for glut referral and hip impingement, but we also find it helps with extensive disc lesions (true sciatica) management
The Promise of Relief
Many individuals have found relief from sciatic pain with osteopathic treatment. Studies have shown that osteopathic manipulative treatment can effectively treat lower back pain and, by extension, conditions like sciatica (Franke et al., PLOS ONE, 2014).
At Wimbledon Clinic Osteopathy, we aim to provide holistic, patient-centric care that targets the root causes of pain and discomfort. By understanding the intricacies of the human body and its interconnected nature, we believe in offering solutions that alleviate pain and promote long-term well-being.
References:
- Valat et al. (2010). Sciatica. Spine Journal, 35(5), E488-E492.
- Jensen et al. (1994). MRI imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain. Spine Journal, 19(12), 1173-1178.
- Licciardone et al. (2005). Osteopathic manipulative treatment for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 105(8), 353-364.
- Andersson et al. (1999). A comparison of osteopathic spinal manipulation with standard care for patients with low back pain. Spine Journal, 24(20), 2134.
- Chila, A.G., & American Osteopathic Association. (2011). Foundations of osteopathic medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
- Franke et al. (2014). Osteopathic manipulative treatment for nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 9(8), e104140.