Sciatica is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but for those living with it, it is more than just a word: it is a debilitating, shooting pain that can stop you in your tracks. Most people describe it as an electric shock or a deep, burning ache that travels from the lower back, through the hip, and down the leg.
At Fortitude Sports Therapy, we see a massive amount of sciatica cases. What we find most often is that the inflammation and nerve pressure aren’t the primary problem. They are the symptoms of a significant muscular imbalance in the hips and spine.
The Problem with “Working Through” the Pain
A common mistake many high-performers make is trying to “strengthen” their way out of sciatica. Unfortunately, if your hips are out of alignment, working out often reinforces the very muscular imbalance that is causing the nerve compression. This leads to more inflammation and a longer recovery time.
To truly resolve sciatica, you have to find the “why” behind the pressure. In almost every case, it is a game of structural tug-of-war where certain muscles have become so tight they have pulled the lower spine and hips out of position, pinching the sciatic nerve in the process.
A Race Against the Clock: A Success Story
Just this week, a young man came in struggling with severe sciatica pain running down the back of his right hip and into the back of his upper and lower leg. He was an avid gym-goer, but he was in dire need of a solution: his wife was due with their first baby any day. He knew that he was about to devote his time to caring for a newborn, which requires holding positions for long periods that his body simply wasn’t ready for.
He had already spent a few months in traditional physical therapy with very little progress to show. We started the session by identifying his trigger movement: lifting his right hip and leg backwards and outwards. Every time he made this movement, the pain would shoot from his lower back all the way down to his calf.
Because he had been working out on this injury, the muscular imbalance had become deeply ingrained. After identifying the muscles that were working too hard and pulling his hips and lower spine out of position, we got to work.
From Shooting Pain to “Walking on Clouds”
By the end of that first session, we achieved incredible results. He had no pain at all, even while performing the exact movement that had been triggering his sciatica moments before. Not only was the pain gone, but he gained significantly more range of motion in his hips and spine. He described the feeling as “walking on clouds.”
He was so elated that he scheduled a follow-up for a few days later. As it turns out, it was a good thing we made so much progress in that first session. The baby came early, and he was ready to step into his new role as a dad without the burden of debilitating pain.
The Fortitude Approach to Sciatica
When you come to Fortitude, we don’t just treat the leg where you feel the pain. We look at the foundation. By releasing the specific muscles that are pulling your pelvis and lower back out of alignment, we allow the nerve to “breathe” and the inflammation to clear.
Whether you are preparing for a major life event or just want to get back to your workouts in Nashville or Franklin, don’t settle for just “managing” your sciatica.
Correct the position. End the inflammation. Move with fortitude.