Low back pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal issues in the world.
It costs the US hundreds of billions of dollars every year, but it’s poorly understood by most people who experience it.
Sciatica is a word/diagnosis that gets thrown around all the time when we’re talking about low back pain.
What is it?
Sciatica is pain that comes from compression on a portion of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in your body.
It runs from your low back down the back of your leg and branches into smaller nerves in your lower leg.
If you have had sciatic pain before, you can attest to how uncomfortable it can be, but it’s not a death sentence.
When someone has a back injury and they get symptoms that shoot or run down their leg the sciatic nerve is involved.
Now, which sounds more manageable as a diagnosis?
"You have sciatica," or "You have some pressure on your sciatic nerve and that’s causing the symptoms down your leg."
Sciatica sounds like a disease. Nerve pressure sounds like you need some exercise.
Why are we telling you this?
Because people get diagnosed with things like sciatica, bulged discs, and impingement syndrome and they feel powerless because they sound serious and terrifying.
All of these terms describe things that can be resolved with exercise and lifestyle changes.
You don’t have to go under the knife.
You don’t have to give up your active lifestyle.
That doesn’t mean it’s going to be quick or easy, but it’s possible.
There’s hope.
If you’re looking for help and you haven’t been able to find a solution, feel free to reach out to us at SOAR Health and Performance.