Sciatica

Physical Therapy for Sciatica in Kansas City

Sciatica is a general term in reference to pain along the sciatic nerve that presents around the buttocks, but often is caused by a referral pattern from the low back or hip.

Sciatica, which typically occurs around the buttocks or gluteal muscles, is usually caused by some form of compression along the nerves exiting the lower back or lumbar spine or compression directly along the Sciatic nerve. The nerves from the low back combine to form the sciatic nerve which is where the term sciatica originates from. Sciatica can present as sharp pain, achey-ness, numbness, or tingling. It usually occurs on one side of the body but may appear on both sides. Sciatica is usually quite easy to treat conservatively with physical therapy depending on the cause of the pain.

Sciatica can occur with bad sitting posture, bio-mechanical deficiencies, or tight musculature of the glute or hip. Static sitting or standing positions can create inflammation around the nerves of the low back, as well as the sciatic nerve directly due to compression of the nerve with sitting. This inflammation causes referred pain (pain further down the body) which presents as numbness/tingling in the buttock, or further down the leg. Most Sciatica symptoms are short term and intermittent. However, the longer the nerves are inflamed, the more constant the symptoms can become.

Sciatica Symptoms

Sciatica can cause numbness or tingling and/or sharp, achy pain that can spread from the low back or buttock all the way down to the foot or calf.
  • Back pain
  • Numbness
  • Tingling
  • Burning
  • Achiness
  • Sharp pains
  • Stabbing
  • Pins and Needles

Treatments for Sciatica

The treatment options for sciatica typically consists of conservative management like chiropractic care or physical therapy, oral steroids, epidurals or surgery. Patients are highly encouraged to start with conservative care, as more invasive options may produce poor long-term outcomes or potential hazardous side effects. It is rare that sciatic symptoms require surgery options.

Our Treatment Process

 

The physical therapists at F.I.T. Muscle and Joint Clinic are ART-, FAKTR-, and dry needling-certified to help treat sciatica. If the symptoms of sciatica are coming from the back our doctors have been trained in McKenzie Method which is highly effective at eliminating low back pain or sciatica. McKenzie Method uses repetitive loading procedures to reduce the derangement causing the pain or restriction in normal joint or soft tissue motion.

ART, FAKTR, and dry needling all help reduce soft tissue inflammation and derangement of tissue that could be causing unnecessary load on the sciatic nerve. Lastly, F.I.T. will often give a variety of corrective exercises to improve breathing, posture and bracing to not only treat the current symptoms but also prevent the pain from returning once it has resolved.

Possible Treatments for Sciatica

For other treatment options, check out our chiropractic services for sciatica.

Dry Needling

Rehabilitation Exercises

Active Release Technique

Frequently Asked Questions

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are you suffering from sciatica?

Take a couple of minutes to tell us about your symptoms and pain areas. Prefer to chat over the phone? Call us for a free phone consultation.

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Visit your local F.I.T. Physical Therapist

Meet the team at any of our 5 locations: Lee’s Summit, Crossroads, Blue Valley, Overland Park & Shawnee.

Contact

https://www.google.com/maps?q=22120+midland+dr+shawnee+ks+66223 22120 Midland Dr. Shawnee, KS 66223
https://www.google.com/maps?q=15040+newton+lane+overland+park+ks+66223 15040 Newton Lane Overland Park, KS 66223
https://www.google.com/maps?q=401+nw+murray+rd+lees+summit+mo+64081 401 NW Murray Rd Lee's Summit, MO 64081
https://www.google.com/maps?q=9120+metcalf+ave+overland+park+ks+66212 9120 Metcalf Ave Overland Park, KS 66212
https://www.google.com/maps?q=505+s+hospital+dr+paola+ks+66071 505 S Hospital Dr. Paola, KS 66071
https://www.google.com/maps?q=4940+w+137th+st+suite+c+overland+park+ks+66071 4940 W 137th St. Suite C Overland Park, KS 66071
https://www.google.com/maps?q=2113+e+kansas+city+rd+olathe+ks+66061 2113 E. Kansas City Rd Olathe, KS 66061
https://www.google.com/maps?q=1860+n+church+rd+suite+b+liberty+mo+64068 1860 N. Church Rd. Suite B. Liberty, MO 64068
https://www.google.com/maps?q=5000+e+bannister+rd+suite+100+kansas+city+mo+64137 5000 E. Bannister Rd. Suite 100 Kansas City, MO 64137
https://www.google.com/maps?q=1800+wyandotte+201+kansas+city+mo+64108 1800 Wyandotte #201 Kansas City, MO 64108