What is Sciatica?
Sciatica is the name given to any sort of pain, ‘pins and needles’, numbness or weakness felt in the leg that radiates from your lower back.
Self-management in the early stages
In the early stages, sciatica can be very painful; although you may feel like resting in bed or on the sofa, this has been shown to hinder your recovery. The vast majority of episodes of sciatica will settle within a couple of months. It’s important that you try to keep active, doing normal day-to-day activities. You may need painkillers from your GP to enable you to do this. Research suggests that keeping mobile will make it more likely that you will recover. Physiotherapy may be helpful too – ask your GP to refer you to a local service.
Although rare, if you experience significant weakness in the legs or feet, or you lose control and feeling or bladder and bowel control, you should seek medical attention immediately.
When to access the Sciatica Service
Generally, if your symptoms are persistent and disabling after several weeks, your GP can refer you to the sciatica service. We will discuss your symptoms and what treatment options are best for you.
Common Procedures
The treatments we offer include :
- Advice and reassurance, particularly if your symptoms are improving (in most cases they do)
- Physiotherapy
- X-rays and scans as needed
- Injections, such as epidurals
- Referral to a surgeon to discuss whether an operation will help.