Why You Still Have Sciatica Pain Shooting Into Your Hips, Back, and Leg (And How To Get Rid Of It For Good)
-By Leading USA Sciatica Expert, Dr. Tom Padilla
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s doing everyday things from standing up straight to finding comfortable sleeping positions and even just walking difficult because of sciatica pain? You may find it hard to focus on enjoying those around you because you’re distracted by your pain. You may have already tried chiropractic, massage, stretching, and exercise, but the difficulty is knowing which things will help and which won’t. This can be frustrating because it seems unpredictable. Some sciatica is caused by muscular weakness and restriction, while others can be caused by stiff joints. Ultimately, certain exercises may help some sciatica, but make other types worse. To best help you, I’ve compiled a list of tips that will help anyone with sciatica regardless of the type to reduce daily pain. Most people with sciatica just want to know if there’s a solution that actually lasts. Solutions that used to work, don’t work any longer. Eventually you find yourself in a rabbit hole, searching high and low for solutions that hopefully help you avoid surgery. One of my patients, Marian, had tried everything above on top of back surgery, unspecialized physical therapy, pain management, spinal injections, spinal electrostimulation, acupuncture, and dietary analysis. Marian told me, “When you go through this, you learn how many things you can no longer do if you can’t stand or walk.” You Don’t Have to Choose Between Surgery and Giving Up the Activities that You Love. Sciatica is so common because many of the solutions out there just take one area into consideration. The muscles, the joints, nerves, strength, weakness, etcetera. The simple truth is that sciatica is a complex condition with many contributing factors. The core issue, which has been proven time and again in the best research, is that the body has developed compensation patterns in order to protect itself. These patterns are hardwired into the brain, and will continue to persist unless they are fixed. This pattern is what CAUSES the tight muscles, and the stiff joints. These tight muscles and stiff joints eventually pinch the nerve, causing sciatica. Therefore, correcting the pattern is the true root cause. No matter how long you’ve suffered, you can still get your life back. No surgery. No pills.
SOLUTION ON PAGE 27.
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6 Reasons Why Your Sciatica May Be Lasting Longer than it Should: 1. You tried looking up exercises to do on your own for your sciatica. But with many “causes,” it’s difficult to figure out which exercises are right for you. This is why some exercises can seem to make it better, but some make it much worse. 2. You tried a few relaxing massages and it felt good for a few days but then it came back. 3. You tried chiropractic care and it eased a bit, but the nagging sensation is still there. 4. You tried waiting for it to go away on its own. That didn’t work… 5. You went to the doctor’s office, and they gave you pain meds or nerve medication to numb the pain. They told you to come back in 6 weeks if it didn’t work. 6. You went to a physical therapist who put you on the same exercises everyone else with sciatica gets…then they left you with an assistant who only half watched your technique. Why What You’ve Tried Hasn’t Worked If any of these things have happened to you,
unfortunately it’s common. The issue with a lot of these methods is that they focus on addressing the symptoms, not the root cause of your sciatica. What to Avoid Here are 3 things that can make your sciatica pain worse. Stretching: If you’ve been stretching to fix your sciatica and it hasn’t worked yet, it likely won’t. More often than not, sciatica has come up because of tight muscles. Stretching is for short muscles. Tight muscles are tight because they’re compensating for a weak muscle nearby. Stretching will relieve them for a little bit, but it will come back unless the weakness is resolved. Crossing Your Legs: Avoid crossing your legs at all costs. This can cause stretching in the back of your hip which compresses the sciatic nerve. It also causes twisting in your hips and pelvis which can put stress on the nerves in your back. Resting: Certain activities right now might make your sciatica worse, but that doesn’t mean you should restrict all of your movements. If certain things are painful, like walking, lifting, sitting, it’s important to find the root cause so you can start moving properly and stay active. How to Fix Sciatica for the Long Term So many of the “solutions” we try only provide temporary relief because they’re not targeting the root cause. And without getting to the source of the problem, sciatica pain will continue to return because the cause was never addressed. Marian learned this the hard way, and unfortunately a lot of people do. After addressing the root cause, Marian says, “I’m back to walking 3-4 miles a day; I can lift and hold my grandbabies; I can go to parties without having to sit in a corner; I can go shopping again.” The only thing she’d change? Finding a specialist to help her address the root cause sooner. “I could have avoided a lot of doctors’ appointments and needless and expensive treatments, not to mention losing a couple of years to my other attempts.”
How to Get Rid of Sciatica Pain for Good
If you’re ready to get to the root cause of your sciatica, and want to get back to being active with confidence, and without painkillers or surgery, you may qualify for a complimentary “discovery visit” with a specialist. To apply, email info@ thedoctorsofpt.com and say “discovery visit” along with your phone number and we’ll reach out. Or apply at: www.thedoctorsofpt.com/discovery-session. If you’re ok to keep trying on your own, our special sciatica report is full of more tips to ease your pain fast so you can get back to doing the basics without as much pain. Get a hard copy of our sciatica report (value $27) mailed to your home for FREE by calling 480-482- 0651 and asking for a copy, or emailing us at info@thedoctorsofpt.com and saying “Send me a sciatica report” along with your name, phone number, and address so we can mail it to you.
Dr. Tom Padilla, Physical Therapist, and Sciatica and Back Pain Expert is the CEO and Founder at The Doctors of Physical Therapy in Scottsdale Arizona.
THE SCOTTSDALE STANDARD • December 2023 • 31
