Sciatica

The Problem

That sharp, shooting pain down the leg. The numbness in your foot. The ache in your lower back that doesn’t go away, or the strange feeling of your leg giving out. Sciatica can feel intense, unpredictable, and often downright exhausting.

It’s not just “back pain.” Sciatica refers to the irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body and runs from your lower back through your hips, glutes, and down each leg. When this nerve is affected, the symptoms can show up in all sorts of surprising ways: sharp or shooting pain, tingling, pins and needles, numbness, heaviness, or weakness.

And it’s not always straightforward. Sciatica can be triggered by a range of underlying issues, some structural, some functional, and often a mix of both. It might stem from a disc bulge or herniation pressing on a nerve root; joint inflammation or irritation in the lumbosacral spine; or compression from tight muscles in the buttock, like the piriformis, which the sciatic nerve travels over, under or through. In some cases, it’s prolonged sitting, poor posture, or repeated movements that build up strain over time, creating a perfect storm of tension, irritation, and nerve sensitivity. And because everyone’s movement patterns, history, and daily demands are different, the same diagnosis can present in very different ways.

The Plan

You don’t need a generic list of stretches or blanket advice to “strengthen your core.” At VIP Osteopathy, we take a more thoughtful and individualised approach to your healthcare, one that’s rooted in truly understanding your version of sciatica. That means listening to your story, observing how your body moves, and identifying what’s actually contributing to the nerve irritation. Whether it’s a joint restriction, muscle imbalance, neural tension, or something else entirely. We plan to work with the whole picture, not just your symptoms, to guide you toward relief that makes sense for your body and your life.

When we work together, we:

• Take a full-body view — understanding how your spine, pelvis, hips, and nervous system are all working together (or not)

• Identify what’s contributing — posture, movement habits, muscle imbalances, old injuries, or lifestyle factors that could be adding stress to your system

• Use targeted hands-on treatment to calm irritated tissues, improve movement, and reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve

• Create a tailored plan that may include strengthening, mobility work, pacing strategies, and tools to navigate flare-ups with confidence

• Support you in rebuilding trust in your body — because often, it’s not just the pain that holds people back, but the fear of making it worse

Everything we do is personalised, practical, and grounded in helping you feel more at ease in your body — not just for the next week, but for the long run.

The Possibility

Recovery from sciatica rarely arrives in a single breakthrough, but it does build over time, with the right strategy and support. As we aim to help calm the nerve, restore better movement patterns, and reduce the strain on your system, things may begin to shift, as sitting becomes less uncomfortable. Walking feels more fluid. That background tension may begin to ease.

At VIP Osteopathy, we’re not chasing quick fixes or temporary relief. We're building a steady return to comfort, confidence, and capacity. A plan that adapts to your life, and not the other way around — to support you to get back to doing the things you care about, without sciatica calling the shots.