Sciatica
Pain travelling from the back into the leg. Alarming, usually not dangerous, and in most cases it settles without surgery.
Common symptoms
- , A line of sharp or burning pain running down one leg
- , Sitting, coughing or a speed bump making it spike
- , Tingling or dead patches in the leg or foot
- , The foot feeling weak pushing off
- , A back that hurts less than the leg does
Common causes
- , Disc bulge irritating a nerve root
- , Age-related narrowing of the spinal canal
- , Deep gluteal muscle irritation
- , Long periods seated, including long drives
What sciatica actually is
A symptom, not a diagnosis: pain along the path of the sciatic nerve, caused by something irritating or compressing it. Most often a disc bulge pressing on a nerve root in the lower back.
It frightens people, understandably. But disc bulges shrink over time and the natural history is good, most people recover without surgery.
The rule that guides treatment
Watch where the pain goes, not only how much of it there is.
Pain retreating up out of the leg towards the back is progress, even if the back briefly feels worse. Pain travelling further down the leg means the current approach is wrong.
We work out your pattern in the first session, and it becomes the rule you follow between appointments. That matters especially here, where you may be in Njoro or Lanet and managing this yourself most of the week.
Sitting and driving
The single most aggravating activity for most people with sciatica, and the hardest to avoid if you drive for a living or commute the highway. If that is you, say so early, how you break up the sitting becomes the centre of the plan rather than an afterthought.
How we treat it
- , Working out which movements pull the pain back up the leg
- , Nerve mobilisation
- , Rebuilding load tolerance as it calms
- , Hands-on work through the lower back and hip
- , A plan for sitting, driving and sleeping
Typical recovery: Most cases settle substantially within 6–12 weeks
See a doctor urgently if you have
- !Loss of bladder or bowel control
- !Numbness around the groin, buttocks or inner thighs
- !Weakness in both legs
- !Rapidly worsening weakness in the foot
- !Sciatica with fever or unexplained weight loss
These are not physiotherapy problems. Go to a doctor or hospital rather than booking with us.
Treatments that help
Common questions
Will I need surgery?
Most people will not. The majority of disc-related sciatica settles with time and appropriate rehabilitation. Surgery is considered mainly for severe pain that has not responded, or for progressive weakness.
How long will it take?
Longer than you would like. Nerve pain is slower than muscular pain, meaningful improvement over six to twelve weeks rather than days. Direction of travel matters more than speed.
I drive long distances. What do I do?
Break the journey. Sitting compresses the lower back more than standing, and long drives reliably worsen sciatica. Stopping every hour to stand and walk for two minutes is genuinely effective and costs you almost nothing.
Book a physiotherapist in Nakuru
Clinic appointments in Milimani, or a physiotherapist at your door across Nakuru. Same-week slots.