Back pain can affect the upper, middle, or lower back and may follow repetitive strain, a lifting injury, poor posture, a motor vehicle accident, herniated discs, or age-related degenerative disc changes. Sciatica is a more diffuse pain that can radiate from the lower back into the buttock, thigh, leg, or foot. Our physical therapists evaluate your symptoms, medical history, movement, strength, and range of motion to build a plan around your specific needs.
Back pain may be acute and short-term or chronic, typically lasting three months or longer. It can be associated with poor posture, sprains and strains, trauma, osteoarthritis, disc herniation, or degenerative disc disease.
Sciatica, also called lumbar radiculopathy, involves irritation or compression along the sciatic nerve. Symptoms are often described as shooting, stinging, burning, numbness, or tingling that travels through the buttock and down one leg.
Treatment begins with a thorough evaluation and focuses on the structures that support your spine: muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments. Early care may use hands-on manual therapy and other passive methods to reduce pain and stiffness. As symptoms improve, your plan progresses to targeted stretches, stability work, therapeutic exercise, and core strengthening. For sciatica, specific leg stretches may be used to loosen the sciatic nerve and reduce symptoms. We also teach ergonomics and body mechanics to help protect your spine and reduce the risk of reinjury.
Contact your physician and physical therapist when pain is getting worse, begins after a major injury or trauma, or does not improve with at-home measures. Severe shooting pain, paralysis or numbness on one side, trouble moving the feet, or loss of bladder or bowel control require immediate medical attention. Getting an accurate assessment early can help identify the cause of your symptoms and start you on an appropriate recovery path.