What I Treat · Exeter
Sciatica treatment in Exeter
That burning, shooting pain down the back of your leg has a reason. Find it, treat it, and sciatica usually settles far better than the internet suggests.
£75 · 45 minutes · includes your first treatment
Understanding It
What sciatica actually is
Sciatica isn't a diagnosis in itself; it's a description. It means the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back down the back of each leg, is being irritated somewhere along its path, most commonly near the spine.
That irritation can come from a disc, from narrowing around the nerve, or from surrounding structures doing their job badly. Working out which matters, because it changes what treatment will help and how quickly you can expect it to settle.
Common signs
- Pain radiating from the back or buttock down the back of the leg, sometimes to the foot
- Burning, shooting or electric-shock sensations
- Pins and needles, tingling or numbness in the leg or foot
- Pain that's worse with sitting, coughing or sneezing
- A leg that feels weaker or less reliable than usual
How Physiotherapy Helps
Calm the nerve, fix the cause
First, a careful assessment confirms it really is sciatic nerve irritation, identifies the likely source, and rules out anything that needs a different route. Nerve pain rewards precision; guessing at it doesn't work.
Treatment combines hands-on techniques to ease the structures irritating the nerve with a graded exercise plan that restores movement and builds tolerance without provoking flare-ups. You'll also learn which positions and habits give the nerve room to settle, which makes the difference between good days and bad ones early on.
Most sciatica improves significantly within weeks when it's managed well. One of my patients had lived with hip and sciatic problems for years and is now running 10k without paying for it afterwards; you can read her words on the reviews page.
While You Wait
What you can do today
Keep gently moving; short walks little and often usually beat sitting or lying still. Find the positions that ease your leg (many people get relief lying on their back with knees bent) and use them to get comfortable sleep.
Avoid the extremes: complete rest doesn't help, and neither does pushing hard through worsening leg pain. “Sore but settling within a day” is a reasonable rule of thumb.
Be patient with it. Nerves recover more slowly than muscles, and a settling pattern matters more than a pain-free day.
Worth Knowing
When to get help
If leg pain has been with you more than a week or two, is disturbing your sleep, or is making you dread walking, book an assessment; sciatica handled early is far easier to treat.
Seek urgent help (A&E or 999) if you develop numbness around your saddle area, changes to bladder or bowel control, or worsening weakness in both legs. These are rare, but they matter more than anything else on this page.
Let's find out what's actually going on
A 45-minute assessment gets you a diagnosis in plain English, a clear plan, and your first treatment on the same day. No GP referral needed.