Chances are, nearly half my clients will struggle with sciatica at some point in their lifetime.
Most people have a vague sense that sciatica is some kind of lower body pain. I find that during intake, massage clients often describe any unwanted sensation in the low back, hip, or leg as “probably sciatica.”
What’s Sciatica?
True sciatica is damage to the sciatic nerve, which runs from the hip down each leg.
However, there are other reasons that a person may feel the exact same symptoms, ones that don’t involve nerve damage. Causes are varied and numerous. Doctors typically put both under the same umbrella term of “sciatica”.
You Feel...
Nerve sensations. This can include mild to severe:
Nerve pain (typically burning sensation, or a pain similar to electrical shock)
Pins and needles
Numbness
Muscle weakness
Where?
The hip and leg. Usually it’s down just one leg, but sometimes both can be affected. It can refer into the low back area as well. It’s most often felt down the back of the leg, but can also refer around to the front of the leg as well.
It's Caused By...
True sciatica: Anything that damages the sciatic nerve, like an acute injury.
“Non-true” Sciatica: Anything that interferes with nerve signals from the sciatic nerve, typically from issues in the surrounding structures. It could be tight muscles squeezing the nerve, or a skeletal issue that’s impinging the nerve. (Hint: These are the most common cases, and it's here that massage can really provide huge benefit!)
Pregnancy sciatica: During pregnancy, a lot of people get a temporary case of sciatica. It typically resolves post partum.
Obviously, if you think you have sciatica, see your doctor for a diagnosis and treatment plan. The good news is that most cases of sciatica resolve by themselves in 4-6 weeks - tho they are often not a pleasant 4-6 weeks.
Massage Can Help
While massage can’t treat the nerve damage from true sciatica, it can address the associated muscle spasms and tightness, which reduces the amount of pain you feel.
And for all those other cases of sciatica, where the underlying issue isn’t nerve damage, massage can often be truly helpful.
Sciatica impingement issues most commonly come as the sciatic nerve bundle passes through the more complex structures in either the low back or hip (read: many layers of tissue creates less space for the nerve to safely pass through.) So best massage strategies are addressing any areas of tightness or restriction in these locations.
And in both cases (true sciatica and non-true sciatica), you’re often holding your body in special ways to avoid pain during everyday activities, say walking or standing. This creates overuse in muscles not involved in the injury - that’s called compensation. It may be helpful to broaden our focus, identify those areas, and work on them as well.
Schedule a Massage
If you suspect you may have sciatica, massage could be helpful for you. Schedule a massage, and let’s get you feeling better!