One nerve. One leg.
So much pain.

Sciatica is exhausting in a way other pain isn't. It travels. It changes depending on how you sat, slept, or lifted half an hour ago. It can be sharp, burning, tingling, numb — sometimes all four in the same afternoon. The good news: in most cases we can identify what's irritating the nerve and meaningfully ease it.

Where you feel it — and what's causing it

The sciatic nerve runs from the lumbar spine, through the deep buttock muscles, down the back of the thigh, and branches into the calf and foot. 'Sciatica' is the umbrella term for what happens when something irritates the nerve along that path. You might feel:

• Lower back ache — often the source, even when it feels milder than the leg pain
• Deep buttock pain — a constant ache that won't ease no matter how you sit
• Burning or sharp pain down the back of the thigh — worse on standing or after prolonged sitting
• Pins and needles in the calf, ankle or foot
• Weakness or 'dead leg' sensation — sometimes intermittent

The cause varies: a disc bulge irritating the nerve root, tight piriformis muscle compressing the nerve in the buttock, lumbar joint stiffness, postural overload, or often a combination.

How osteopathy can help

Sciatica usually responds well to a methodical, targeted approach:

1. Identify where the nerve is being irritated. A detailed neurological and orthopaedic assessment locates the source.
2. Reduce the pressure. Hands-on techniques to ease the muscles, joints and soft tissue crowding the nerve.
3. Improve mobility. Gentle mobilisation of stiff lumbar joints to give the nerve more room.
4. Restore movement patterns. Specific exercises to stop the compressive pattern returning.

Most patients start feeling meaningful change within 2-4 sessions. Severe cases or disc-related sciatica may take longer — but we'll always tell you honestly what we expect.