The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the body. It originates in the lower spine, branches into the pelvis, then travels down through the buttocks and the back of the legs and branches into the lower legs and feet. Sciatic pain occurs when there is pressure on, or damage to, the sciatic nerve. Problems of the lumbar spine including bulging disc, joint inflammation, wear and tear as well as spine degeneration can cause this irritation.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Sciatic pain can vary from infrequent and irritating to constant and debilitating. Symptoms vary from each individual and depending on severity but often include one or more of the following.

·         Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg (rarely in both legs)     

·         Pain that is worse when motionless         

·         Pain that occurs sporadically

·         Leg pain that is often described as burning, searing or tingling

·         A sharp pain that may make it difficult to stand up/walk          

·         Weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg, foot, and/or toes     

 

While back pain due to sciatica, and other causes, is common, there are a number of measures that can help to prevent it occurring or reduce the likelihood that it will recur:

·         Maintain correct posture when standing, walking and sitting.

·         Don't smoke.

·         Maintain a healthy body weight.

·         Practice safe lifting techniques. When lifting, bend the knees and keep your back straight. By doing this, the strain is taken by the hips and legs, not the back. Hold the object close to the body. The further away from the body the object is, the more stress is put onto the lower back.

·         Undertake exercise that maintains aerobic fitness and strength and flexibility in the abdominal and spinal muscles.

·         Ensure that your back is well supported when seated.

·         Use chairs that provide good back support and are designed to provide a good seating posture.

·         A lumber roll or contoured cushion can help to provide lower back support.

What can you do to help alleviate the pain

• Carry on with your normal activities as much as possible.
• Start gentle exercise as soon as possible - anythign that gets you moving can hlep.

How Does Bowen Therapy Help

Bowen Therapy works on a deep level, gently and powerfully helping your whole body rebalance the tensional relationships of the connective tissues (fascia) which in turn can take the pressure off of the sciatic nerve and therefore relieving the symptoms. Bowen Therapy is also known to relax your central nervous system, allowing your body to be more in its ‘rest and repair’ state which is so often under active in our highly stressed modern lives. This helps you stop tightening your fascia when stressed thus aggravating the problem. (Try clenching your fist and see how the remainder of the body feels particularly the jaw and shoulder). Many clients find themselves unable to get comfortable in bed and thus suffer poor sleep. It is important to address this issue also as sleep is when the body repairs itself. As Bowen Therapy calms the body down this aids with relaxation of the fascia which in turn can help with a good night’s sleep.

I treat many clients for sciatica, and if they have been experiencing it for a period of time before coming for treatment, when they first arrive often the pain is on the opposite side. This is because naturally when we are in pain we compensate and start taking the weight of the affected side. We will change our posture to accommodate the pain and over time we compensate more and more until the other side is unable to cope as it can change our total posture. The beauty of Bowen is that we look at the whole body – it is all connected!  I will look at what you do for a living, the movements you make and really try and get to the root source of the pain. Exercises can also be prescribed where appropriate and sometimes changing the way you move can really stop the problem from re-occurring. My aim is not just to relieve the pain but prevent it coming back. This is where my personal trainer background and the exercise and rehabilitation course I attended really help. If you have any questions, do please contact me.

·